Silver Moonlight
by Necron Caelestis
Summary: The sequel to Silver Mirror and fourth installment in the series. War looms on the horizon, but while the adults are mostly dreading what's to come, the youngsters continue to hang on to what little hope they still have. Lilly continues her incursions into the Labyrinth, but can just a single person even make a difference?
1. Chapter I

Silver Moonlight

_Igitur Qui Desiderat Pacem, Praeparet Bellum_

By: Necron

_There is a time to be born and a time to die,_

_A time to plant and a time to uproot,_

_A time to heal and a time to kill,_

_A time for peace,_

_And a Time for War._

CHAPTER I

_The Story Never Changes_

Athena looked out over the city of Mistral. Snow had begun to fall for the first time in ages according to Astor. The Grimm attacks in the surrounding countryside had dropped thanks to the weather, but nothing short of total extermination could stop them permanently. Even now, Mistral had to send patrols to nearby towns and villages to keep them safe from marauding Grimm. Fortunately, advances in technology by Hillphire Innovations made it much easier to respond to emergencies before they turned into tragedies.

Her scroll vibrated a number of times before she finally picked it up and unlocked it. There were a few messages piling up.

Ingrid: _dudes, is your leader really still sleeping?_

Echo: _o.O_

Echo: _athena wru?_

Perseus: _i havent seen her leve her room_

Perseus: _xan-chan have u seen her?_

Leon: _hey dont bug him hes prolly wiht penny_

Yuan: _Who's xan-chan?_

Perseus: _bro where tf have u been?_

Echo: _dun b mean_

Ingrid: _athena?_

Ingrid: _athenaaaaaaaaaaa_

Ingrid: _cmon quit pulling a leon_

Leon: _wtf?_

Echo: _pretty sure shes talking about how you got all emo_

Leon: _emo? wut?_

Echo: _remember when lilly went missing?_

Leon: _i didnt get emo_

Ingrid: _yeah u did_

Echo: _yeah u did_

Perseus: _yeah u did_

Leon: _fck u guys_

Yuan: _Yeah you did._

Athena: _yeah u did_

Ingrid: _ATHENA_

Echo: _ATHENA!11 3333_

Perseus: _yo boss u sleepin in?_

Athena: _nah just kickin it in my room_

Athena: _u guys tryna do somthing?_

Echo: _yuans dad is cooking breakfast again today_

Echo: _u gonna have some pancakes?_

Athena: _sure ill be right out_

Athena stretched and yawned before pocketing her scroll. She hadn't bothered changing out of her pajamas when she headed out of her room. She ran into Astor in the hallway.

"Whoa," he said. "What the hell, I haven't seen you with your hair down in forever."

"You tryin'a hit on me?" she said.

"Maybe."

"Careful. That got you in trouble with your sister already."

He sighed heavily. "That's not funny."

She began laughing as she walked with him to the dormitory dining hall. Teams APEX and LILY sans leader had since taken up residence at the Haven Academy dorms. It was the first week of January and the crew was on high alert. According to the intel delivered by Ivory and Leon not that long ago, Dr. William Hillphire might have a contract out for his life. Though he did have his own security detail guarding him at all times, their enemy was much too crafty for rank and file soldiers to take care of.

"How did you get this entire dorm all for us anyway?" Athena asked Astor as they crossed through the common area toward the dining room.

"Haven's got this place reserved for, like, foreign dignitaries," he said. "Technically, that's what you guys are. And besides, you're all here on official business."

"So, then, what are _you_ doing here?"

"I mean, I don't even have a friggin' team anymore since they all went to the new Instinct Academy over in Menagerie. I figure I might as well hang out with you guys. Besides, y'all seem to attract all sorts of exciting shit. What's it like in the Labyrinth anyway? I barely got a tiny peek, nothing you guys've seen."

"Trust me, you don't wanna know."

"There's the boss!" Perseus said, standing up with Echo.

"Where the hell is Xanthus?" Athena said.

"Reporting for duty!" Xanthus said from the doorway. His glasses were crooked. Penny straightened them up with a giggle as she walked past him.

"Xan-chan's been helping with stuff down at the Forge all morning," Penny said. "Mmm, is that Ren's pancakes I smell?"

"Sure is," Ren said as he finished up the last ones.

Meanwhile, Yuan headed into the dining room as well, his mother incessantly asking him questions regarding his well-being.

"Are you sure you didn't get hurt?" Nora said in rapid-fire.

"Yes," Yuan answered.

"Have you been eating right?"

"Yes."

"Your grades are okay?"

"Yes."

"What about your girlfriend? Are you two good?"

"Yes."

Ingrid stiffened. Echo and Athena gave each other glances and smiles.

"What are you two grinning about?" Ingrid hissed.

"Good morning," Yuan said, sitting right next to her.

"Oh, good morning."

"Did you hear how soft she said that?" Perseus said to Athena and Echo.

"She's so sweet with him, isn't she?" Leon said.

"I am gonna scratch your eyes out!" Ingrid said.

"Eggs?" Yuan offered.

"Yes, please."

Once everyone was finally settled in, Qrow stumbled through the doorway.

"Grandpa Qrow, what the hell?" Athena sighed.

"S-Sorry," he drawled. "Has anyone seen my wife around?"

"I thought mom was with you," Astor said.

He shook his head, too much time between each movement. "I've been out all night."

"Getting drunk again, of course," Leon said.

"Noooo, not drunk. I've been gathering information and stuff."

"Yeah?" Athena said. "About what?"

"Supposedly, someone's spotted some suspicious looking people around. From Atlas. Although, from the description the guy gave me, it just sounds like someone from North Anima, not Atlas. Not stiff enough."

"Will you have some pancakes?" Ren said, offering him a plate.

"Careful he doesn't drop it," Leon said.

"Yeah, sure, I'll have two," Qrow said. "Oh, there's two there already! Whaddya know?"

Athena, Leon, and Astor all sighed in unison.

"Hey, Professor Branwen," Perseus said. "So, is this all gonna be on our official record and stuff?"

"You mean are you being graded?" he said.

"Yeah."

"Also," Xanthus interjected, wiping his glasses, "are our activities here sanctioned by Beacon Academy?"

"Keep up that kind of thinking and you're on your way to becoming Headmaster of your own academy," Qrow said. "Yeah, everything we're doing out here is legit, on the books and all that. And yeah, you'll all be graded on what happens out here."

"And so far," Penny began, reaching for some hash browns, "you've all been doing great. The hunting missions you've been out on for the past week have been very successful."

"Thanks to the snow," Astor said. "Jeez, is it ever gonna let up?"

"It's a good thing your mom thought ahead," Ren said. "Headmaster Lyon's idea to retrofit the entire city with snowplows and other snow gear probably saved us."

"Has anyone seen Ivory?" Athena said.

"That's a good question," Perseus said. "Wasn't she staying at the dorms with us?"

—

Ivory dodged a series of ice attacks before countering with her own, adding an Electric Dust attack for variety. Her glyph formation was too slow, however, and she found herself at a disadvantage rather quickly. Planning ahead, she projected a number of glyphs to use as platforms and shields, switching Elfenbein to Fire Dust before going on the offensive. The strengthening glyphs she had used on herself were about to run out and she needed to at least gain the upper hand before they disappeared.

Her opponent anticipated her moves, canceling out every single attack, breaking through her defenses. It was all Ivory could do to evade and block when she needed. She rolled to the side, projecting a glyph behind for one last attack, but she was simply too slow. She found herself face to face with the tip of her mother's saber.

"You've been getting a lot better," Winter said, withdrawing her blade and sheathing it at her belt.

"Thank you, mother," Ivory said, panting as she stood up and dusted her uniform.

"This is not idle flattery. Your work with your glyphs is the most innovative anyone's ever seen. After all, you're the only one who uses them to actively augment your physical abilities. Though they do actively drain your aura over time—such is the nature of our Semblance—they give you the edge you need in combat. Also, you haven't grown over-reliant on that technique. This tells me that you know how to employ your Semblance judiciously. But I think the most impressive thing I've noticed so far is your blade work."

Ivory held up Elfenbein, gazing at the intricate designs of her multi-cartridge Dust saber. She had crafted this weapon as a fusion of Myrtenaster's multiple Dust cartridge system and her mother's saber design. In her hand was the physical embodiment of the inspiration she drew from the two most important women in her life, her mother, Winter Schnee, and her Aunt Weiss.

"Where did you learn fencing like that?" Winter asked her.

"From you, of course," Ivory said.

"It's been a long time since we've trained in person like this. There must have been another source for your inspiration."

She shook her head. "I've watched all of your videos and studied every single technique."

"But those are not my techniques alone."

Ivory was silent.

"I notice a bit of my sister's style in your fighting. Not that it's bad or anything. It's important for you to model yourself after all of your inspirations, not just one. However, I must note, as an instructor, that you've emulated some of her less efficient techniques. You've added a lot of artistic flair to your style. You sacrifice a great deal of energy for what are essentially useless movements."

Her mother was right. Much of her movements were, indeed, a waste of energy. But it was impossible for her to rid herself of these bad habits now.

"I'm not saying you should purge yourself of them," Winter said. "After all, your style is your style. What I will suggest, however, is to try and figure out techniques that are equally as aesthetically pleasing while also carrying tactical purpose."

"I understand," Ivory said.

"Good. Well, I think we're already late for breakfast."

"Hey, you two," Qrow said from the doorway to the training hall. "I figured you'd both be here at dawn, so I brought you breakfast."

"I'm surprised you're able to walk straight," Winter said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Actually, he barely made it here upright," Astor said, walking past his father and taking the plates from him. "I'll get these off your hands before you friggin' drop them."

"Hey, hey, I can do it just fine, okay?" Qrow protested, but he didn't have the necessary balance to go after Astor.

"Try and catch me, then, old man!"

"What? _Old_?"

"Here ya go," Astor said, handing the plates over to Winter and Ivory.

"Thank you," Ivory said, taking a bite out of the ham. "Who cooked this morning?"

"I'm guessing Ren," Winter said, "from the taste of this pancake."

"Yeah, no one cooks like Yuan's dad," Astor said. "And no one eats like his mom. It's like they were made for each other or something."

"Has your mother returned?" Winter said.

"I don't even know where she is."

"She informed me that she was headed to a meeting with some of the city officials."

"Oh. Well, she didn't tell me or dad."

They all looked over at Qrow, who was gripping the doorjamb to keep from falling to the ground.

"How much did he have to drink?" Winter said.

Astor shrugged. "Mom and I are already used to this crap."

Ivory sighed before handing her half-finished plate to Astor and heading to Qrow. She shouldered him off of the wall.

"Hey, hey, _hey_, I'm _fiiiine_," he complained.

"You can't even resist right now," Ivory said. "Let's at least get you to a couch."

He grumbled all the way to the common area.

—

"Seriously, Hillphire, will you be fine with just your guards?" Hollie said.

"Yes, I will be all right," Hillphire answered. "You forget that I, too, am capable of defending myself."

"Don't worry," Yang said. "We'll be looking out for him, too."

"He is paying us handsomely, after all," Raven said.

"As long as there's money involved, huh?" Hollie said.

"We have to eat, you know," Yang said.

"Goodness, you, too?"

"Yup. And besides, we have two other teammates to feed. Ain't that right, Lucia, Aurora?"

"Mm-hmm," Lucia said. "And Aurora's still a growing girl."

"C'mon," Aurora said. "Do you guys really have to use _me_ as an excuse?"

"Anyway," Hillphire began, "the City Council has already made its decision. No action will be taken against Atlas at the moment. After all, we don't want to risk any conflict prematurely."

They all turned to the television set. The news anchor was talking about the rising tensions between Atlas and Vacuo.

—

"Increased tariffs on incoming goods from Vacuo?" Perseus said as the group huddled around the television set in the dormitory's common area.

"Is that bad?" Leon said.

"Of course that's bad," Xanthus said, pushing up his glasses. "This will only serve to increase tensions between the two countries."

"Dad's likely to counter with stopping trade with Atlas altogether," Perseus said. "He's already struck trade agreements with Vale and Menagerie."

"The lines are starting to be drawn," Winter said. "A hundred years ago, Vacuo and Vale allied themselves against Mistral and Atlas. It may be the same this time around."

"What good will come out of another war, though?" Ingrid said.

"In reality, nothing," Qrow said, "but all the old guys are eager to send their young men and women off to die for causes that aren't even their own. At least that bastard Sergei's not giving some bullshit excuse like 'spreading democracy' or some other garbage like that. He's been pretty transparent about his dislike for Vacuo's policies toward former Atlas territory on Sanus."

"The Dust mines," Ren said. "I thought they settled those disputes a long time ago."

"It _was_ settled," Winter said. "The international committee arbitrated in favor of Jupiter Enterprises."

"And General Holland didn't like that," Hollie said from the doorway.

"Heeeey, beb," Qrow said, still sprawled all over the couch.

"Ugh. Did no one stop him from drinking a whole liquor store again?"

"I thought he was with you last night!" Astor said.

"And I thought he was with you!"

"Oh my gods!"

"My words exactly!"

"Hang on," Athena said, increasing the volume on the television set. "Ingrid's mom is about to make a statement."

"The Kingdom of Menagerie acknowledges the tensions rising between Vacuo and Atlas," Queen Blake Belladonna began, "but in the interest of peace and neutrality, Menagerie will distance itself from any conflicts between the two kingdoms. We will continue to trade with both nations as their laws permit, favoring no one over the other."

"But what about the anti-Faunus attitudes that continue to persist in Atlas?" a reporter asked her.

"Those rumors are unsubstantiated," Blake answered. "Until we have witnessed definitive proof of Atlas-government-sanctioned systematic discrimination against the Faunus, we will treat those rumors as nothing more than that. We may have a history with them, but that was twenty years ago. In the name of progress, Menagerie is willing to extend a hand of amity to any nation that wishes to reciprocate."

"Your Majesty," another reporter began, "are you at liberty to discuss the new Dust deposits that have opened up in the eastern half of the continent of Menagerie?"

"Such formalities are unnecessary," she began with a smile, "but yes, I am at liberty to speak on that matter. As you've heard, we have been moving into those sections of the continent in order to begin mining at once."

"Will this Dust be exportable?"

"That all depends on the Council of Menagerie. The issue will be up for a vote whenever the time comes."

"I had no idea Blake was such a statesperson," Nora said as the news changed over to another topic. "She used to be so quiet, remember?"

"Yeah," Ren said. "It's good to see that she's taken responsibility for her people. It's in her blood, after all. Her dad was chieftain of their settlement before it became what it is now."

"I keep forgetting that we have a princess in our group," Perseus said.

"Yeah," Echo said. "And, like, actual royalty."

"Guys," Ingrid sighed before hiding her face behind her hands.

"And to think she was almost _my_ princess," Leon said, reclining in his seat.

Ingrid grabbed a pillow from the couch and threw it in his direction. He only barely dodged the throw.

"Penny, do you think you could train all of us?" Yuan asked her.

"Hmm?" she said. "Oh, yeah, of course. You're all still officially Beacon students, after all. And Qrow and I are still officially your instructors."

Yuan looked at the back of his hand. After some concentration, he summoned a rune onto his flesh. It was the same as the one that had appeared during his union with that otherworldly being, though he had no idea what it was.

"Unfortunately," Penny began, "I don't think anyone can help you with that."

"I know," he said. "Although, I think I kinda know how to use this new power. Sir Elyan, the, uh, Wraith-Knight that I made a pact with, he's still there. Even though he made himself completely subordinate to me, he hasn't totally disappeared. I don't hear his voice at all, but it's like I know what he knows. Barely, though. I have a feeling there's a lot that I still have to learn."

"What's it like?" Ingrid asked him. "Having something like that inside you, I mean?"

"I can't describe it. When I first awakened to it, it was like a huge surge of power. It felt like my body was literally gonna tear apart, but it didn't."

"Actually," Leon began, sitting upright.

"You did tear apart," Ingrid said.

"Huh?" Yuan said.

"No one ever told you?" Athena said.

"Your body was actually ripped to shreds by that power," Penny said. "That's what I detected and that's what Ingrid saw with her own eyes."

"Yeah," Ingrid said. "You sorta exploded."

Yuan looked down. He did remember something of the sort, but it was all hazy. How was it that he survived that, then?

"Let's take it one step at a time," Penny said. "Training halls, everybody!"


	2. Chapter II

CHAPTER II

_Unexpected Visitors_

"Demetri!" Lilly cried out for her companion. "Demetri!"

"Over here," he grunted, pushing a large section of wall away. "Thank goodness for your Earth Rune spells."

She sighed in relief. "Where did that explosion come from?"

"Lilly, Demetri, do you read me?" Ariadne's voice sounded in their headsets.

"Loud and clear," Demetri said.

"Thank goodness," she said. "We picked up a huge space-time distortion wave and then lost contact with you for a while. Are you still in the Third Layer?"

"Yeah," Lilly said. "We've been here for some time now."

"Good, you must not be that deep if we can still communicate. Although, you did cut out just now. What happened?"

"That distortion wave you detected," Demetri said, "it must have been what we just encountered. The building beside us exploded."

"For no reason," Lilly said.

"There may be a reason," Ariadne said. "I'm picking up a severe space-time distortion not that far from you. Lilly, can you sense it?"

"Yeah. You think that's our target?"

"I do. Head over, scout it out, come back if you need to. You've both been in there for almost eight hours. At the very least, try and identify our target before you proceed."

"Roger!" the duo said into their microphones.

Lilly and Demetri had been tackling Labyrinth after Labyrinth for months now, targeting serious problems before they became crises. The less critical situations, which were differentiated by their much less developed Labyrinths, were left to real-world authorities who could provide help to those individuals. On the other hand, Lilly and Demetri were responsible for activities in the other world.

Even if they weren't actively taking down Labyrinths, their investigations into those manifestations tended to yield clues as to what kind of problem the individual was going through. Victims of abuse would typically have their abuser as a monster or some other manifestation in their Labyrinth, giving real-world detectives and other personnel the information needed to provide help.

The Labyrinth Task Force, or LTF for short, encompassed every single personnel tied to that project, whether those in the compound beneath Shade Academy or the real-world investigation and rehabilitation teams such as police officers and doctors. The most vital section of the group, however, was Rift Command, which provided direct support to the only two who could enter the Labyrinth.

Dr. Cherenkov served as the director of the entire task force, but it was the young Ariadne Jupiter who headed Rift Command. The experiments Lilly took part in enabled the development of new technology which made it possible to build rudimentary maps of the other world. Ariadne herself was the one who designed the system, which she dubbed the LabNav, short for Labyrinth Navigator, combining advanced technology with runes she and Lilly had managed to stumble upon. By providing energy to these runes, which had yet to be named, the computer was able to project an approximate simulacrum of the Labyrinth. Naturally, the mapping system was much more accurate in the upper layers while Third Layer Labyrinth maps were limited to estimations.

"We're in," Demetri said into his microphone, covering Lilly's back as she peeked into the hallways of the distorted school.

"Hmm," Ariadne's voice sounded in their earpieces. "The distortion level is quite low here. There's almost zero time slippage and the LabNav is showing well-defined images. This target is a low priority for extraction. Gather whatever information you can and then bring it back here. Police and medical personnel should be able to work this case without direct Labyrinth intervention."

"Wait," Lilly said. "We have a straight shot to the core."

"Lilly, you and Demetri have been in there for long enough. I suggest light work."

"This is gonna be light. _Ritter von Remnant, beantworte meinen anruf_! _Leih mir dein schwert_!"

Lilly aimed Myrtenaster at the ground and a massive rune appeared, from which her knight emerged. It faced her, holding its giant sword down at the earth and giving her a bow.

"Okay, are we all ready?" Lilly said.

"Do you have the stamina to maintain my Earth Rune power-ups along with him?" Demetri said.

"Yeah. I've still got one round left in me. You can see the core, can't you?"

He looked further in. She was right. The path all the way to the core of this personal Labyrinth was unobstructed.

"Ariadne," Demetri said into his radio, "Lilly's right. We do have a clear path to the core. Are you seeing it on the LabNav?"

"Whatever it is you two are seeing," Ariadne began, "it's not showing up on my monitors, but if you're sure you won't be putting yourselves at risk, then proceed, but do so with caution."

"Don't worry. That's what I'm here for."

"Hey!" Lilly said, throwing her hands on her hips. "Are you calling me reckless?"

"Yes," both Demetri and Ariadne said at once.

"You guys suck."

Lilly led the way into the personal Labyrinth, which took the shape of an everyday school. There were minor alterations to the building, including bars and locks over doors and windows that made no sense along with barred off sections of hallway. None of these blocked their path to the core, however. There were also very few monsters, but the ones that did roam the halls took three distinct forms, misshapen children, brutish school faculty, and hysterical adults.

"I wonder what this all means," Demetri said as he killed one last Corrupted before reloading his gauntlets with Dust.

"I've seen this before," Lilly said. "School tends to be an oppressive place for a lot of students it seems."

Demetri looked over at her as she led the way. There was no doubt she was referring to the one Labyrinth she had failed months back, the one that led to her making the biggest mistake of her life.

"Lilly—"

"Not right now, Demetri," she said. "And besides, I'd rather not remember any of that."

"As you wish."

"Hmm." She read through a small, tattered journal she picked up from a desk. "Yeah, this kid's been bullied a lot. Looks like a messed up home life, too. And the faculty haven't done anything to help. Okay, this is pretty straightforward."

"Do you ever find Labyrinths with diaries lying around like that?"

"This is only the second time I've ever had this happen," she chuckled. "And from what I'm seeing, it's only for the least distorted Labyrinths. Yuan's Labyrinth was like this, too. Really lightly distorted. Heck, it was super close to the real world."

"He had a diary?"

"Yup. Had his thoughts in it and everything, how he felt about Ingrid, how he thought he had failed to save her life and all that."

"Was that after the incident?"

She nodded. "Yeah, the one that nearly killed them both."

"I see."

"Anyway, you've seen the darker personal Labyrinths we've been in. Some need to be examined thoroughly."

"Yes, I noticed the heavy symbolism in some of those Labyrinths."

"Here we are!"

The trio burst into the school gymnasium, where a lone teenage boy stood surrounded by what appeared to be gruesome variations of jocks, popular kids, and overachievers. Lilly spotted the red vein-like tendrils that connected the boy to the Labyrinth. She and Demetri ran forward alongside her knight, cutting down the hordes of Corrupted surrounding the boy. They were easy to defeat and it wasn't long before only the boy remained. Lilly jumped up and forever severed the red lines, catching the young man as he fell over.

"Hey, you're okay now," she said to him as soothingly as possible.

"S...Sis?" he said.

"Nah, I'm Lilly."

"Oh, sis."

"Huh?"

"Wait, you're not sis."

"No, I'm Lilly Schnee."

"Huh. My sister's name is Lily, too."

"That's awesome. She has a cool name."

"Yeah. What's that?"

"Hmm? You hearing something?"

"Yeah. A voice."

"What does it sound like?"

"It sounds...like my sister. I think she's calling me home."

"Then, go home to her. To your family."

"I don't like it at home, though. Lily's the only friend I've got."

"Sounds like you're all she's got, too, huh?"

"Y...You're right. I have to go home to her."

"You take care now, okay?"

"I will..."

The boy vanished in her arms. She nodded at Demetri, who accepted her knight's assistance as they all rocketed off of Lilly's runes, which hurled them to the Labyrinth entrance before the collapse even began. They watched from a distance as the mildly distorted school fell apart.

"Okay," Lilly said. "Yeah, I'm tired."

"And here I was beginning to think you were a machine," Demetri said.

"Psh. I'm not Ivory, you know."

He chuckled.

"_Ich danke dir für deine hilfe_. _Bitte kehren sie dorthin zurück, wo sie hergekommen sind_."

Lilly curtseyed to her knight, which bowed before dissipating into a mist of twinkling light. At the same time, the Earth Rune strengthening spells that had been active all day finally broke.

"Okay, let's head back to the rift," Lilly said, leading the way to Shade Academy.

—

Lilly threw herself onto her bed without bothering to change her clothes. She closed her eyes for a bit, nearly dozing off to the sound of the rain on her window when a knock came from the door.

"It's me," Demetri's voice sounded from outside.

"Come in," she said.

He opened the door and stepped in, holding back his chuckle upon seeing his companion so haphazardly sprawled over her sheets.

"You see, _this_ is why I accompany you into every Labyrinth," he said.

"Shush," she said, throwing a pillow at him, which he caught.

"If it weren't for my assistance, you'd be like this every single day," he said, returning the pillow to her bed.

"Whaddya want?"

"Are you hungry?"

She turned to look at him.

"Ariadne and I were going to eat in the dining hall if you wish to join us."

"Sure, why not?"

She got down from her bunk, throwing on a light sweater to stave off the cold before following after her companion and walking side by side with him.

"Tell me about you and Ivory," Lilly yawned.

"What is there to tell?" Demetri said, feeling his face warm up at the thought of her.

She shrugged. "When did you first meet her?"

"Atlas Primary Combat School. We attended together, but she graduated before me. Supposedly she's the youngest ever to start at any of the Huntsman Academies."

Lilly sighed. "I didn't ask for a history lesson!"

"Sorry."

"I wanna know what you guys did and stuff while you went to school together!"

"Oh. Well, there's not much to tell. She was my senior and taught me a lot of what I know now."

"And?"

"I don't know what else you want to hear."

"Okay, tell me everything about you guys _besides_ school and professional-related stuff."

He looked at the ground in thought. "There wasn't much we did in the way of leisure, if that's what you're asking. The vast majority of our interactions were centered around school. You probably don't need me to tell you that she's quite the overachiever."

"_Everyone_ knows that."

"Although, I guess, I mean, she really liked coffee. I don't know if she still drinks it every morning. Even at her age, she was so much more mature than everyone else around us. I suppose it's no wonder she went to Atlas Academy at only thirteen. But, even then, I kept in touch with her. She would constantly give me advice on how to improve my skills and whatnot."

"Did you two still hang out?"

"We did, actually. We usually had lunch together. The Primary Combat School and the Academy are all on the same campus, so that wasn't difficult at all. She did invite me to the manor a number of times and I was happy to accept. At the time, my father thought it would be a good idea for our family to mingle with her family given her status, so he had me extend the invitation to her as well, but I think I enjoyed staying at the Schnee manor more than my own. Your little cousins are really fun to hang out with. Back then, it was only Finn and Bianca."

Lilly smiled as she continued to listen to Demetri's recollection. He hadn't realized it, but the words were now flowing freely without Lilly needing to spur him on. Anyone else would've found it surprising for someone to have such a degree of admiration for Ivory Schnee, but Lilly knew better. Beneath Ivory's cold demeanor was a girl who grew up far too quickly and with a burden much to heavy for one person to bear.

_Like I'm one to talk._

"Well, if it isn't the snow angel!" Dionysus said, joining them as they arrived at Shade Academy's dining hall.

"Good evening, Dionysus," Demetri said.

"Bro, c'mon, I've already told you, like, a million times just to call me DJ!"

"Apologies."

"And quit apologizing! Jeez, it's like talking to Orion. Except he doesn't apologize at all. Like, ever."

"DJ!" Lilly greeted, giving him a high five.

"Yo, how's the business down at the lab?"

"Goin' good. Saving the world one monster at a time."

"Hey, if you ever wanna do some training with us, lemme know. I know you and Demetri aren't actually students here, but you know how it goes."

"We'll probably join you on one of our days off. Although, I mean, I don't think those exist, to be honest."

"Yeah, probably not since you two are always in that other world. Besides, training with us will probably just slow you down."

"I disagree," Demetri said. "I believe that any amount of training will be plenty useful."

"Hey, where's Ariadne?" Lilly said. "I thought she was gonna eat with us."

"Oh, good, you were able to get her to join us," Ariadne said as she approached the group from behind.

"I was just talking about you!" Lilly said, giving her a hug and causing her to stiffen.

"Aw, you made my sister all shy," Dionysus said with a chuckle.

"I-I'm not shy," Ariadne said, fixing her glasses. "I just didn't expect that, that's all."

After getting their food, the quartet headed to a table next to a window.

"This is the first time we've had so much rain," Dionysus said as he ate. "I can't believe it's been coming down for four straight weeks."

"I hear that Mistral is also getting more snow than usual," Ariadne said.

"Maybe that whole climate change thing is real after all."

"Very funny."

He chuckled. "I'm serious!"

"Right."

As the group finished eating, Orion approached the table.

"Oh, hi, Orion!" Lilly greeted him with a big smile.

"I am grateful that your endeavors have failed to dampen your smiles," said the eldest son of the Jupiter Family. "The three of you, whenever you're free, please join me at Rift Command."

"I have night classes after this," Ariadne said.

"You can make up for it later. Your instructors all know of your importance to the team."

"Very well, then."

"May I ask what the issue is?" Demetri said.

"No issue," Orion said. "I simply would like to introduce you to new team members."

Lilly raised an eyebrow. Who exactly could the new team members be, she wondered.

—

Lilly was dumbfounded upon meeting her new teammates. On the way down to the compound, she ran all sorts of possibilities through her mind, perhaps students from Shade Academy or maybe even that Orion himself and Dionysus would be joining them on their missions, but the two people standing in front of her now were the last persons she expected. She wondered just how it was they were able to find her and also whether or not anyone else was aware of her secret.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, young lady," Ruby said to her.

"H-Huh?" Lilly said, blinking herself back into sobriety.

"You do know that you've been officially missing for the last several months, don't you?" Jaune said.

"Oh, r-right."

"Why didn't you tell anyone where you were going or what you were doing?" Ruby asked. "Does Weiss know where you are? Does _anyone_ know where you are?"

"My mom knows I'm okay," Lilly said. "I call her every other week."

"Does she know you're _not_ at Beacon Academy?"

She shook her head.

Ruby let out a heavy sigh. "You know we've _all_ been worried about you, right?"

"I'm sorry."

"Dr. Ozpin was the one who sent us out to look for you," Jaune said. "Not just us. Yang and her group also went all the way to Mistral to search for you. Your aunt has also been searching all of Atlas. Even Blake Belladonna is involved."

"I'm really sorry. It's just..."

Lilly racked her mind for an explanation of some sort, but there was nothing to explain. She had wanted to go out and do this on her own, which she actually managed to do. In retrospect, it probably would've been a good idea to let _someone_ know what she was up to, but the most important thing was that her mom knew she was safe.

"Wait a minute," she said, "does that mean that you guys didn't tell my mom I was missing?"

"None of us wanted to worry her," Ruby said. "We all know how powerful Weiss is. We saw it with our own eyes twenty years ago. I know for a fact that if Athena or Leon went missing, I'd be tearing up the _world_ looking for them."

"You guys were afraid my mom might blow up the planet."

"Quick answer," Jaune began, "yes. She totally has that power."

"Let me get this straight," Orion began, "all this time, you've been with us here, and no one back home had any idea where you were?"

Lilly nodded timidly.

"You told us everything was fine," Ariadne said.

"Everything _is_ fine," Lilly said. "No one needed to know where I was. And all my mom had to know was that I was okay, which she does, which I am."

"Lilly," Orion began, "your business is your business. However, I think it would have been nice if you had let your friends know where you've been all this time. Here I thought Perseus went back with word of where you were. But now it explains why we haven't had so much as an email from Headmaster Pine."

"Are you gonna tell them?"

"I don't have a choice. Shade Academy has been in cooperation with Beacon and Haven for some time now. The Labyrinth research isn't confined solely to us. It's just that we are taking it a lot more seriously compared to Mistral and Vale. Atlas is also quite serious about their research into the Labyrinth, but with the recent curfew imposed throughout all of their kingdom, our informants have been unable to update us on anything."

"They're probably also tightening up security to make espionage a lot more difficult," Jaune said.

"That tells me that they've reached a critical stage in their advancement on Labyrinth research," Ariadne said. "What is it they have that we don't?"

"I'll tell you what _we_ have that _they_ don't," Demetri said, eyeing Lilly.

"Demetri Holland," Orion began, "how do you feel about working with us?"

"I have no misgivings about our partnership. I may be loyal to my country and to my father, but my loyalty to Lilly is surpassed by none."

Lilly looked at him, wondering if it was really her he was loyal to or a younger member of the Schnee family.

"If things escalate between our countries," Orion continued, "you may even be branded as a traitor. Are you okay with that?"

"Yes," Demetri said. There wasn't a hint of doubt in his voice. "These past months have shown me that there are more important matters than those which plague even the leaders of nations."

"Very well, then. You have my personal assurance that if such a situation arises, you will be treated as a diplomatic refugee, not as an enemy."

"You have my gratitude, Orion Jupiter."

"Okay, so," Ruby began, "this thing you guys do."

"Have you ever been in a Labyrinth?" Ariadne asked the duo as technicians came in with their equipment."

"Once," Jaune said. "By accident. It was a good thing we were with Yang and her group because apparently the Spring Maiden has the power to cross over at will."

"Raven got us out before those nasty things were able to get to us," Ruby said.

"There's cross compatibility between our world's magic and theirs," Ariadne said. "Just as I suspected."

"You're really young to be the leader of this whole thing," Jaune said.

"I don't lead the entire Labyrinth Task Force. That duty is left to Dr. Cherenkov. Unfortunately, he couldn't be with us today as he is currently in a meeting with my father and the Vacuo Council regarding increasing tensions between our country and Atlas. Now, first things first. Lilly, can you use your Earth Rune spells on more than one person?"

Lilly nodded before holding out a hand, summoning an Earth Rune in the air in front of her. She focused her mind on her three companions, projecting the Earth Rune's strengthening spells on all of them. Each one was bathed in a brownish glow as the magic took effect.

"Hey, this is just like what Bedivere used...to..." Jaune said before cutting himself off. He glanced over at Ruby, who was glaring at him.

"Bedivere?" Demetri said.

"Yeah," Ruby said. "He was an old friend who fought in the last war with us."

"Ah, so he also possessed this rune magic."

"Y-Yeah, I guess so," Jaune said, scratching his head while trying to avoid Ruby's stare of death.

"Is that how Dr. Hillphire and Dr. Cherenkov know so much about rune magic?" Lilly said.

"It's honestly still a mystery even now," Ariadne said. "Over the last twenty years, ninety percent of the progress we've made in Thaumatology has been over the last months you've spent with us."

"Awesome! I mean, it's totally not awesome that you guys've made so little progress but it's super awesome that I've been a big help cuz you know I totes wanted to help out and stuff and it's good to know that I'm actually helping!" She took a deep breath.

"You're going to pass out from that one of these days," Demetri said.

"Shush!"

"Okay, I think you should deactivate your magic for today," Ariadne said. "You and Demetri still haven't gotten the rest you need."

"Aw," Lilly whined before powering down her Earth Rune. "I wanted to go in again!"

"We were just there two hours ago," Demetri said. "Do you remember what happened the last time you stayed for too long?"

Lilly sighed. "Stop reminding me of that!"

"I had to literally drag you to the nearest rift."

"Demetri!"

"I'm just saying."

"Super..." Ruby began.

"Saying?" Jaune finished.

The rest of the room sighed heavily.

"Ruby, Jaune," Orion said, turning to their guests, "you are more than welcome to stay at Shade Academy's dorms. We have special accommodations for situations like this."

"Thanks for your hospitality," Jaune said. "Ruby, you cool with the dorms?"

"It'll be just like old times!" she said with a hop. "Wait, does that make us _old_?"

Lilly and Ariadne shared a giggle.

"Your room will be across the hall from Miss Schnee's group's room," Orion said.

"Too bad Leon and Athena aren't here," Lilly said.

"Well, whose fault is that?" Ruby said.

"I'm sorry!"


	3. Chapter III

CHAPTER III

_Blackening the Torch_

"Okay, Yuan, we're up," Penny said as she headed to the middle of the training hall with her pupil. The others watched anxiously as they squared off. This was the first training session they had had since arriving at Haven Academy, the first time they would be able to see Yuan in action with his new powers without the chaos of battle distracting them.

"Do you think they'll blow up the building?" Leon said.

"If Yuan has the same power that Lilly's got, maybe," Perseus said. "You remember what happened between her and Ivory, don't you?"

"You should focus on the sparring right now," Ivory said. "Idle chatter will not help you improve."

"Y-Yes, ma'am!" Leon said, stiffening.

"Jeez, you're whipped," Ingrid sighed.

"Should I go ahead and transform?" Yuan asked Penny.

"Do whatever you're comfortable doing," she said. "I told you before that I have no clue how your powers work. I'm pretty sure Lilly and Weiss are the only two beings in all of Remnant right now who have any idea how any of that works."

Yuan was quiet as he gripped his Ji halberd, the Heaven Scorcher. It was true that he still had a lot of growing to do with this new power of his. That explosion of energy from his awakening was a one-time deal it seemed. Since that day, Sir Elyan, his Wraith-Knight, was silent, and the bond between them had hit a plateau.

_Here goes nothing, _he thought before dashing at Penny with his polearm held forward.

His instructor allowed him to come within striking distance before she materialized a spear in her own hands, deflecting his attack and countering swiftly, but not swiftly enough. Her student was markedly faster than the last time they had sparred. As they exchanged blows, she wondered if it was all the fighting they had been doing since leaving Beacon Academy or if his fusion with his Wraith-Knight had anything to do with it. As far as she could tell, though, his techniques right this minute were his own. Not a single magical rune was visible on his body.

She decided to increase the intensity of their fight, rapidly turning the tables on Yuan, who struggled just to defend against her onslaught. She attacked an opening in his form and swept his legs out from underneath him, but he was quick to block her follow-up strike, finding himself in a blade deadlock with her.

_C'mon, Yuan, _Penny thought as she continued to push into him, the tip of her spear inching its way to his face. _There's more to you than this. I know it._

Yuan gritted his teeth as he continued to fight against Penny's strength, but her technological strength was simply too much for a mere human body to compete with. But no matter what, he refused to give up. The desperation transformed into determination and an ancient power began to burgeon up from within, just like that day he fought against Adam Taurus and that Daemon in the Labyrinth that took over his hometown.

Penny gasped as she looked into her student's eyes, whose jade color was overtaken by a golden light which seemed to emerge from his pupils outwards until the entirety of his irises glowed with a flame-like golden shine. With a single push, Yuan was able to throw Penny's full weight several feet away. She somersaulted before landing in a crouch, amazed to see her student rise to his feet through some unseen force. Although nothing showed on the visible spectrum of light, her sensors, which could pick up what human eyes could not, detected a phenomenon that now surrounded his body like a flame.

"Yo," Leon said.

"That was," Astor said.

"Pretty crazy," Perseus said.

Ingrid inspected Yuan closely. A thin, black, mist-like aura rose from his feet into the air, barely visible, yet undeniably present. It was the same as before, when he first awakened to this power. Although it saved their lives that time, she still couldn't shake this terribly dark feeling that accompanied it.

"You thinking the same thing?" Echo said quietly.

"Yeah," Ingrid said. "Is your danger radar going crazy, too?"

"Not super crazy, but yeah, something about him gives me the creeps."

Yuan closed his eyes, sighing as he allowed the power to rest once more. He fell to the ground, dropping his weapon.

"Yuan!" both Nora and Penny yelled before running to him.

"Are you all right?" Nora asked as she tended to her son.

"Y-Yeah," he panted. "I think so."

"Your stress levels are elevated," Penny said, "more than what I'd expect from our training bout just now."

"It's that damn Wraith power, that's why," Nora said.

"N-No, it's not..." Yuan began, "...it's not what you're thinking, mom. I just need to get used to it, that's all. Lilly went through the same thing when she first discovered her rune magic. I just have to get better."

"Don't overwork yourself," Ren said, extending a hand to help him up. "We don't have any clues as to the nature of that power. Our old friend had a Wraith, too, but that thing was downright evil. You say that this Wraith-Knight isn't evil, and I trust in your judgment, but as your father, I'm still going to warn you to be cautious."

"Of course," Yuan said. "I'm not as reckless as mom, after all."

"Really?" Nora said sardonically, throwing her hands on her hips.

Penny couldn't help but giggle.

"All right, all right," Qrow said. "You guys clear out the ring so the next two can have a shot."

"That's us," Athena said to Perseus, who stood up with his team leader, following her to the center of the room.

Perseus was quiet as he shared the ring with his captain. He picked up on her tension even before they arrived at the training halls earlier today. There was no doubt that she was about to put him through hell right now.

"Okay, kids," Qrow began, "you decide when you start—"

Before he even finished his sentence, Aegis was already flying through the air. Perseus barely managed to bring up his own shield to deflect it, but Athena was already upon him, swinging Pallas at every opening he had. He parried and blocked with his own sword and shield, but there was no way he would ever match his team leader's speed and ferocity. She was the one who had a shot at defeating Ivory Schnee this past Vytal Festival Tournament, after all. There was no way in hell he could even hope to hold a candle to the Golden Girl of Vale.

"Hey, your boss could take it easier on Perseus, don't you think?" Ingrid said. When she got no response from them, she turned to Echo and Xanthus, who were watching the fight closely.

"What's with them?" Astor said.

"You don't remember?" Leon said.

"Remember what?"

"Perseus's story," Ivory said. "No doubt, she's taking it out on him right now."

"It's not actually his fault, though," Ingrid said. "Lilly made her choice. He didn't force her."

"Doesn't matter," Leon said. "I think out of all of us here, no one wanted to protect her more than my sister did."

Athena dashed at Perseus before putting her full weight behind Aegis. He brought up his shield to block, but ended up falling to the ground instead with the force of her attack. There was no time to recover and she stepped on his arm to prevent him from bringing his shield back to bear. He stared up, his team leader's face silhouetted by the ceiling lights. She was holding her spear with both hands, ready to pierce his chest. He could barely see her face, but it wasn't necessary. He could feel her eyes burning holes in him.

"Athena!" Ingrid yelled as she rose to her feet.

Athena drove her spear downward with full force, causing their audience to gasp. Perseus could feel the blood dripping from the side of his neck, where her weapon just barely nicked him. Her face was now only inches from his and he could see the totality of her hatred in her midnight blue eyes.

"You didn't try to dodge," she said quietly enough that only he could hear. "Were you hoping I'd kill you?"

He didn't answer.

She let out a heavy sigh before yanking Pallas out of the ground and marching out of the training hall. Perseus sat up, remaining on the ground for a while. The sound of running made him turn his head slightly. Echo knelt beside him.

"Are you okay?" she said.

He gave her a silent nod.

"C'mon, let's get you up."

He accepted her help without any protest, walking back with her to the benches. The whole room was quiet as he sat down between Xanthus and Echo, the latter of whom gently rubbed his back with one hand in a futile attempt to comfort her teammate.

—

Athena let out a heavy sigh as she leaned forward against the guard rail which separated the Haven Academy dorm's garden from the sheer drop overlooking the valley below. She closed her eyes, listening to the rush of the waterfall which fed the whole city. Soft crunching of grass sounded behind her as someone approached. The footsteps stopped a few feet away.

"So, were you really gonna kill your own teammate?"

Athena turned around to face her aunt Yang, who stood with her arms across her chest.

"I wouldn't blame you if you did."

"No, I wasn't gonna kill him," Athena said.

"Everybody was pretty convinced that you were gonna."

"Where did you come from? I thought you were down at the Forge with the rest of your team?"

"I figured I'd come up here to hang out with you guys. You know we stayed in this dorm twenty years ago, right?"

"Mom and dad told us stories about those days. You tryin'a relive old times or something?"

Yang shook her head. "Nah. I just heard Ren was cooking and I got hungry."

Athena let out a chuckle.

"I made it to the training halls just as you knocked Perseus flat on his ass. Like I said, I wouldn't blame you if you _did_ kill him. But as the good aunt and all that shit, I should probably tell you that it's not actually his fault."

"Yeah, I know, Aunt Yang. You don't have to tell me."

"I know I don't. You're not the dumb twin."

She chuckled. "I won't tell Leon you said that."

"Still. I can't believe Lilly would just up and leave like that without telling _anyone_. And convincing Perseus to keep his mouth shut? She must've threatened him or something."

"No, I think he just...I don't know. She must've had a good reason to keep it all under wraps. And if Perseus actually kept her secret, well, he wouldn't do it for shits and giggles."

"If she was persuasive enough to get him to do what she wanted, I'm not surprised at all. That's probably something she got from her dad."

Athena watched as her aunt walked to the guard rail and leaned forward against it.

"Penny and Qrow still haven't told you guys, have they?"

"About Lilly's dead dad? Nope. But I'm not dumb. Neither are the others. We've all pretty much figured out that it's that knight statue in the middle of Beacon's quad, right?"

"Yup. Bedivere. That's her dad."

Athena noticed the look of longing that washed over Yang's face. "Sounds like you were pretty close to him."

She chuckled. "Yeah, I almost became a fucking home wrecker."

"Wait, you mean you and him had a fling?"

"No, it never went that far. It was...we were all going through a rough patch. A really rough patch. And he and I found some common ground, that's all. But neither of us let it go any further than just friendship. After all, it was Weiss who summoned him, not me. It was her that he swore to, not me."

"Summoned?"

Yang nodded. "It's a long goddamn story, but I guess I should tell you. You're not a kid anymore. I think you could handle a little drama in your life."

Athena scoffed before leaning backward against the guard rail beside her aunt.

"Eighteen years ago, just before the war ramped up, Weiss accidentally summoned him into our world. She was up against the ropes and she went to summon her knight, the one you saw at the tournament last summer, but she couldn't do it. Her aura was broken and her Semblance failed her. But, just as she was about to get killed by a swarm of Grimm, something swept her up into the sky. I mean that literally. At least, that's how she tells the story."

"That was Lilly's dad?"

Yang nodded. "He accompanied her on their way to Mistral, saving village after village, until I ran into them, anyway. As in, I literally ran into them. The motherfucker smashed my bike."

"What? How?"

"He was standing in the middle of the road and didn't dodge, so I crashed right into him."

"Holy shit!"

"Yeah, the dumbass. Funny thing, though. He bought me the one I ride now."

"You mean the one that transforms into a giant robot armor?"

"That's the one. Anyway, long story short, Weiss and Bedivere fell in love and then they fucked."

Athena's face and tone instantly went sarcastic. "Wow."

Yang chuckled. "Yeah. He gets one of my best friends pregnant and then goes off and dies."

Athena looked down at the ground. "How did he die?"

Yang thought about it for a while. "He gave up his life for our world."

Athena sensed a lot more behind the story, but she refrained from prying. "So, it's because of his death that we're all alive right now."

Yang nodded silently.

"I mean, why don't you guys just tell her? I'm pretty sure she's dying to know about her dad."

"Weiss hasn't talked about him at all. There aren't even any photos of him in her house. She's got a reason for not talking about him with her kid. I'm not gonna be the asshole who breaks my friend's trust." She sighed. "Weiss has been through enough. The last thing any of us want is to break her heart even more."

"So, that's why."

Yang looked over at her niece.

"I remember something weird happening at the tournament last year. When Lilly summoned her knight for the first time ever, Weiss was on her feet. And, I coulda sworn the look on her face was, like, longing mixed with a lot of pain. At first, I had no idea what the heck it meant. I figured maybe she was just super fucking proud of her daughter, you know? But knowing what I know now..."

"Yeah. When Lilly first used her runes during that match against Ivory, that was when we all knew. She inherited her father's magical power. And then, all in the same hour, she summons a magical familiar in the shape of her father, the knight statue that stands in the middle of Beacon's quad."

"Fuck, this is heavy."

"Tell me about it."

The pair spent some time in silent reminiscence. Yang looked down at the valley below, where the river rushed beside the lower town. This city was nearly decimated all those years ago, saved only by powers that were beyond their comprehension. Yang didn't notice the smile that had formed on her face, wondering what conjured it until she remembered the reason the city was spared.

"Did you know that your dad's a hero, too?" Yang said, turning to Athena.

"What do you mean?" the younger one asked.

"Jaune was his squire."

"Wait, what?"

"Yup. Bedivere took your dad in as his squire. He was the one who shaped up your dad into the warrior he is today."

Athena drew her spear and looked at it. All those times she sparred with her parents, her mother always exuded a kind of confidence and wildness, but it was her father who was unnaturally tranquil even in the midst of battle. She always wondered what it was about him when he would train her. But knowing that he fought alongside and was taught by one of the best warriors they had ever known, it all made sense.

"Didn't mean to drop all that pressure on you, b-t-dubs," Yang said with a chuckle.

"No, no, it's not..." Athena began. "I don't actually think of it that way. Hell, nothing pressures me like that stupid title."

"Golden Girl?"

"Yeah, that stupid shit."

"Well, hey. Wanna go at it?"

"Training halls, you mean?"

"Yeah. Let's see how your spear work does against my fists."

Athena grinned as she led the way back to the building. "Nah. I'm not gonna use my spear or my shield."

"Oh?" Yang said, following after her. "You think you're good enough to take me on empty-handed, huh?"

"Penny taught us something a while back. 'I am the weapon. Everything else is nothing more than a tool.'"

"Penny says that, huh?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Funny. That's what _he_ used to say to us, too."


	4. Chapter IV

CHAPTER IV

_Flowers Fit for a Princess_

Lilly covered her mouth as she yawned in the middle of Dr. Cherenkov's lecture. She had long since accepted his invitation to sit in his courses, but the class she jumped in at the beginning of the school year was much too advanced for her. There was no way she would be able to keep up with the homework on top of her Labyrinth excursions. Fortunately, she wasn't actually doing any of this for a grade.

"Miss Schnee?"

Lilly stood up so fast that her blood failed to catch up to her head and she nearly fell over. She noticed some of the other students chuckle.

"Be careful," Dr. Cherenkov said. "You don't want to pass out due to orthostatic hypotension."

"O-Ortho-huh?"

"Would anyone like to explain what orthostatic hypotension is to our guest?"

Ariadne raised her hand before being selected. "Orthostatic hypotension is low blood pressure caused by rising too rapidly since gravity pulls downward on your blood. In extreme cases, it can cause blackouts, but normally results in some dizziness in healthy individuals."

"Excellent answer, Miss Jupiter."

Ariadne bowed before taking her seat.

"Are you feeling better, Miss Schnee?"

"Y-Yeah," Lilly said, feeling her face flush.

"Good. Now, the question I wanted to ask you was regarding the fundamentals of Thaumatology. As you all know, despite this being an Advanced Particle Physics course, the new field of Thaumatology shares some common ground with this one. After all, many of the Thaumaturgical phenomena we have discovered in our very own underground lab complex cause the formation of hitherto undiscovered particles, which your very own classmate, Ariadne Jupiter, has given the name of 'Erscheinung Particle.' The question then, Miss Schnee, is whether or not this Erscheinung Particle interacts with other known particles."

"Well," Lilly began, rummaging through her brain. "If I remember correctly, from our own experiments in the lab, the Erscheinung Particle's characteristics are pretty random, but they can be compelled to exhibit certain kinds of phenomena, but it requires the use of a rune to do so. The appropriate rune could, in fact, cause the Erscheinung Particles to behave like other known particles, including electrons."

"Precisely. It is because of this odd property that this new particle is even in your textbooks for this course."

A student raised his hand. "But, isn't this particle extremely rare to begin with?"

"This is true. However, because of the tests we are conducting in the lab downstairs, it may one day be commonplace."

"You mean magic."

"I prefer to call it Thaumaturgy. After all, it still operates on a fundamentally physical level."

"I personally think we should explore the possibilities," another student chimed in. "It would greatly reduce our dependence on Dust. Heck, we only got lucky that geological event almost twenty years ago caused new Dust veins to open up in our country. But even that won't last forever."

"It's good to see our younger generations thinking so far ahead," Dr. Cherenkov said. "If you all keep this up, I think the future of humanity is in good hands. And with that, class is over. You all have the assignment for next week. The chapter regarding matter-antimatter reactions is going to be very important on the exams in a few weeks."

Lilly stretched before packing up her things. Ariadne walked over to her.

"High-five!" Lilly said, holding up a hand.

Ariadne instinctively reciprocated before asking, "Wait, why? What did I do?"

"That whole orthoscopic hypermatter tension thing."

She chuckled. "I think you haven't been sleeping enough."

"Probably," she said with a yawn.

"What do you say we skip Labyrinth business today and just hang out?"

"But—"

"I agree with Ariadne," Demetri said, joining them.

"Hey!" Lilly said. "When did you infiltrate our classroom?"

"I always wait outside for your class to end."

"Where have you been this whole semester?" Ariadne said to Lilly, who didn't answer. "Yeah, we're definitely going to take today off. I'll let Dr. Cherenkov know our plans."

Lilly frowned as her companion headed to the front of the class.

"It's a good thing it stopped raining," Demetri said. "Should we explore the downtown area?"

"I was actually thinking we could hang around campus all day," she said.

"So you can 'accidentally stumble' into the underground complex?"

"No! Of course not!"

He didn't break his gaze.

"I swear!"

"Okay, Dr. Cherenkov is aware," Ariadne said, rejoining them. "What's going on here?"

"Lilly wants to hang out on campus," Demetri said.

"Oh, so you can accidentally stumble into the lab?"

"Why are you two so mean?" Lilly whined.

"Actually, I think the student council is throwing a festival later this evening. It's supposed to last all weekend."

"Right, it's your birthday on Saturday, isn't it?" Demetri said.

Lilly looked down at the ground. She had forgotten all about her birthday. Last year, she had spent the tenth of January with Team LILY and APEX, her closest friends. This year, thanks to her imprudence, she would spend her nineteenth birthday without them. Or perhaps, looking on the brighter side, it would be with new friends.

"In fact," Ariadne began, taking out her scroll, "I'm going to let my brother and Dr. Cherenkov know that we're taking the weekend off. I'm sure they'll be fine with it, considering you haven't taken a single day off in the last four months."

"I can't afford to take a day off," Lilly said, looking down at the ground.

"With all due respect," Demetri said, standing at attention, "one of the most important things for a soldier is to know when she's at her limits. Or at the very least, know when to take breaks to recuperate both physically and mentally."

"Was Ivory good at pacing herself like that?"

"Yes," Demetri answered without hesitation. "However, your cousin does have the unfair advantage of having been trained all her life. For better or for worse, you have to learn these things from experience alone."

"Not alone," Ariadne said. "That's what we're here for."

Lilly managed a weak smile at her companions. Though she had come a long way in the past almost year and a half, it was clear that she still had miles to go. For now, she decided to take the rest.

"Festival, then!" she said with a hop.

"That's the spirit, ma'am," Demetri said, loosening up.

"Why are you calling me 'ma'am', huh?" Lilly said, throwing her hands on her hips.

—

Ruby leaned back against the tree, closing her eyes as the breeze blew her hair to the side. Vacuo's deceptive summer heat made the winter chill all the more surprising, though perhaps that should not have been a surprise given that it was a desert environment, which resulted in greater temperature swings than most other climates. The massive lake to the northwest did store enough heat from the summer to keep the city from completely freezing over, though.

"All righty," Jaune said, sitting beside her under the tree. "Got some burgers and fries for us."

"Awesome!" Ruby said, stealing a fry from his tray.

"C'mon, you have your own food! Quit being a Nora!"

She giggled before leaning against the father of her children. She didn't eat for a while, sitting silently as Jaune went through his food.

"Not hungry?" he asked her.

"No, that's not it," she sighed.

"Thinking about Lilly?"

"Yeah. And then I thought about what Weiss would do if she found out what was going on here and then I thought about Leon and Athena and what they might be doing right now."

"Yang texted you yesterday, didn't she?"

"Yeah, and she says the kids are fine, but I just can't help but think about them."

"Me, too. I know Athena can take care of herself, but Leon's the one that worries me a bit. He takes after you too much."

She gave him a light punch on the shoulder and he chuckled. "What's that supposed to mean, huh?"

"Just that he's real passionate about everything."

"That's a good thing!"

"Yeah, yeah! It's supposed to be a compliment! But you're not eighteen anymore. You can control yourself. I was his age half a lifetime ago. I know how dumb he can be."

"You know what, he gets that more from _you_."

"What?" he whined.

"I remember _you_ being the one who got all emotional, not me!"

"W-Well, but you were real fired up, too!"

"I could be reckless at times, but you were the one who always cried between the two of us!"

"I am a well of emotion! I can't help it!"

"Exactly!"

"What are we even arguing about anymore!"

"I don't know!" He stuck a fry in her mouth and she frowned as she chewed. "Stop treating me like a Nora!"

He chuckled before handing her food over. She begrudgingly went through her burger and fries, grumbling under her breath the whole time.

"I love you, Ruby," Jaune said, leaning against her as she ate.

Ruby couldn't help but smile as she finished up her food. She leaned back against him, finding his hand in the soft, cool grass before intertwining her fingers with his.

"Hey, isn't that Lilly and her friends?" Jaune said.

"Hmm?" Ruby said, following his gaze. "Oh, yeah, you're right."

"I'm honestly surprised Demetri's comfortable walking around in the open like this. I'm pretty sure people know who he is."

"I think that goes to show the kind of effect Lilly has on people. I'm pretty sure his loyalty is more to her than his own family. Heck, _everyone_ seems to gather around her. Team LILY and Team APEX were technically two separate teams, but they hardly ever operated separately. I mean, they're both over in Mistral right now."

"It's not that different from us back then, huh?"

She looked over at him.

"Team RWBY and Team JNPR were pretty tight-knit, too."

"Not as close as LILY and APEX, though."

"She really takes after him, doesn't she? Gets all sorts of people to come together, despite their differences."

Ruby closed her eyes, recalling those past days. What might Bedivere think of his daughter if he had the chance to meet her?

_He'd be proud, _she thought.

—

"We still have a few hours to kill before the festival starts," Lilly said. "Ooh! There's a taco truck over there!"

"I'm craving a burrito myself," Ariadne said.

"I'm in the mood for a chimichanga," Demetri said.

"We're going to a taco truck, guys," Lilly said. "You're getting tacos."

"I'm getting a burrito," Ariadne said, unbending.

"You suck. Demetri, you better change your mind."

"Very well," he said.

"See? Demetri's cool!" Lilly said, hanging off of his arm.

Ariadne rolled her eyes before pushing up her glasses. She was the first to place her order, cutting in front of Lilly to prevent her from hijacking her order. Lilly stuck her tongue out before approaching the window.

"So," Ariadne said, standing with Demetri some distance from the taco truck. "I've noticed you never leave her side."

"My duty is to her," he said. "Is it not natural that I would stay by her side as often as I can?"

"Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to fault you or anything. I simply thought I would point it out."

"There's nothing more to it than that."

"It wouldn't happen to also be a proxy for her younger cousin, would it?"

"Not at all. I am perfectly capable of differentiating between my duties to Ivory and my duties to Lilly."

"So, if Ivory were with us, would you leave Lilly's side and return to Ivory's?"

He didn't answer.

"I see. I guess I can't blame you. Lilly seems to have that effect on everyone around her."

"To answer your question, I would stand by both of them," Demetri said without a hint of doubt in his voice.

"Would you?"

"Yes."

"I see. It must be nice to have someone like that. Someone to look after you."

"Are you trying to imply that you have no such person? Because if you are, you would be mistaken. I, too, look after you. As do your brothers."

"Yes, and I appreciate that. But merely having my back wasn't what I was referring to."

"Okay!" Lilly said, skipping back to them with their food, including Ariadne's burrito.

"Great," Ariadne said. "You're not gonna give me my food, are you?"

"Nope!"

"Lilly, please? I want my burrito."

"You're gonna get tacos instead!"

Ariadne sighed heavily before submitting and accepting the tacos Lilly handed to her.

"You let your guard down," Demetri said to Ariadne. "I expected more from the one who navigates for us in the Labyrinth."

"You can stow it, Demetri Holland."

Lilly giggled before leading the way to some benches. "So," she started. "I did some digging on my scroll and it looks like the festival tonight is gonna open up with a concert. After that, there's some games and stuff all over the place and a big bazaar for a whole bunch of vendors for weapons and stuff."

"Are you thinking of replacing Myrtenaster?" Demetri said.

Lilly shook her head. "I don't think I could get used to another weapon after using this one for so long. What about you? Thinking of doing some upgrades?"

"Yes. I believe the junior engineering division sponsored by Jupiter Enterprises has some new systems I want to incorporate into my gauntlets, particularly the grappling hooks I use."

"What about you, Ariadne?" Lilly said. "You gonna check out the engineers?"

"Perhaps I should," she said, "if only to ensure that they're representing my division properly."

"Oh, right! I forgot that you're the head of that division! How the heck do you find the time to do that _and_ Labyrinth stuff?"

"I surmise the lack of a social life would give her the time she needs," Demetri said.

"You're one to talk," Ariadne said.

"I never claimed to have a social life of my own."

Lilly giggled. "It's okay, I don't really have a social life anymore either cuz of what we do. Besides, it's cool to hang out with you guys! Nothing beats team-building exercises like tacos together just before the festival, right?"

"Speaking of tacos," Demetri said before rolling her burrito to Ariadne, the latter of whom quickly snatched it up.

"Hey!" Lilly said. "How did you get that?"

"You let your guard down as well," Demetri said. He turned to Ariadne. "I told you I look out for you."

She smiled as she opened up her food.

"You're lucky we have a gentleman with us," Lilly said, sticking her tongue out at Ariadne, who returned the gesture.

—

Lilly awoke to the sunlight hitting her face. She squinted before stretching, losing her balance and falling to the ground with a yelp.

"Ow," she grumbled, rubbing her head.

"You will never stop doing that, will you?" Ariadne said, peeking down at her over her bed.

"I will suggest it again," Demetri said from across the room, "you should trade places with Ariadne if you're going to keep falling out of your bunk like that."

Lilly groaned before sprawling out on the carpet, closing her eyes now that she was out of the sunlight.

"Could you imagine Weiss behaving like this?" Ruby's voice sounded from the doorway.

"Heck no," Jaune said.

"How in the world did _you_ come from her anyway?"

"Ooh!" Lilly said, instantly springing to her feet. "Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Arc Rose! Or, wait, is it Rose or Arc?"

"Officially, I'm Ruby Rose-Arc and he's Jaune Arc-Rose," Ruby answered, "but just call us by our first names."

"That's cool! You guys took each other's last names! Wait, but, then, why do Leon and Athena only have one?"

"They're officially Rose-Arcs," Jaune said, "but to keep things simple, they just go by Ruby's last name."

"I'm glad my family kept things even simpler than that," Ariadne said, getting out of bed and grabbing some clothes from the closet.

"So, do you guys all wanna go to the second day of the festival together?" Lilly said, stretching before going through her belongings.

"Yeah, why not?" Ruby said. "Ariadne, what about your family?"

"My brothers are busy with their own things," she said. "Orion's probably running security checks everywhere and for sure Dionysus is hanging out with his own friends."

"That's too bad," Jaune said. "What about your parents?"

"Dad's way too busy running the company and mom is with her sisters running the lake resorts."

"Yeah," Lilly began, "it's surprising Ariadne's able to go around with us cuz she's super busy with her own stuff."

"My engineering crew are doing well from what I saw yesterday. I don't need to babysit them. You, on the other hand."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Lilly said, throwing her hands on her hips.

Ruby and Jaune shared a chuckle before heading down the hall.

"We'll be in the lobby," Jaune said.

"In so many ways, she's nothing like Weiss at all," Ruby said as she and her husband headed downstairs, "and yet in so many others, she's exactly like her."

"The addiction to coffee is just _one_," Jaune said.

"Oh goodness," Ruby gagged, imagining the exceedingly bitter cups that Weiss would enjoy from time to time.

The crowds had already swelled by the time Lilly, Ariadne, and Demetri joined Ruby and Jaune out in the courtyards of Shade Academy. Fortunately, the weather had let up and it didn't look like the plans put together by the students would be ruined.

"Isn't it odd?" Ruby commented, looking up at the skies as they strolled around. "Just this past week, we've been having endless rain, but now there's not a cloud in sight."

"Yeah, the weather's great, isn't it?" Jaune said, pulling his wife close.

She looked up at him and smiled and he smiled back before giving her a kiss.

"Where do you guys wanna go first?" Jaune asked the others.

"Another band is about to start playing," Ariadne said. "I believe Lilly wanted to attend this concert as well."

The group looked over at Lilly, who was preoccupied with something, staring off into the distance.

"Is something the matter?" Demetri asked her.

"Hmm?" she said. "Oh, no, I was just thinking about stuff."

"The Labyrinth again?"

She hesitated for a moment. "Are you gonna be mad if I said yes?"

"I won't be mad. But I would suggest clearing your mind of that for some time."

"It's...I can't."

"Yes, I know. I, too, have found myself unable to sleep some nights. There are some times when I wonder if we could have done more for our charges."

Lilly stared at the ground as the group continued their march. Demetri was referring to those times when they would retreat from a Labyrinth only to discover that it was no longer there when they returned before learning from the news or social media in the real world that said individual had passed away. She gasped as she realized that her fists were balling up of their own accord and she willed them to relax. She took a deep breath, letting it all out slowly.

"Let's go enjoy ourselves!" she said with as uplifting a voice as she could muster.

—

It was late in the afternoon when the festival began to pick up. There was another band scheduled to perform in the evening, one quite popular among the students of Shade Academy, but the big event was going to be the fireworks show later at night. In the midst of the growing crowds, Lilly had long since separated herself from the rest of the group, who decided not to interfere, not even Demetri, who was usually never too far away from her, always ready to shoulder her the instant she needed him.

She sighed, standing in the middle of a field of flowers, the very heart of Shade Academy's garden, which was engineered and built by the graduating class of four years ago. She closed her eyes, breathing in deep the scent of the countless variety of wildflowers surrounding her. The design of this garden established order where the walkways ran through, but this field was the exception. Here, mother nature was given free rein to do as she pleased.

A breeze enveloped her, catching her long, silver hair and her simple, white and blue dress, a change she had made to her wardrobe recently. Though a t-shirt and jeans were still number one for her, she began to expand her inventory to include more fashionable items. She smiled, thinking about the sparseness of her own closet compared to her mother's, which was probably ten times as large and varied. She wondered if her mom would be gladdened by the sudden interest in dresses.

Her hair was starting to bug her and she undid the blue bow, allowing the wind to toss her hair around for a while before retying it to relieve some of the tension that gravity and constant bouncing caused over time. She didn't have a mirror in front of her, but she had done it enough times that it was muscle memory by now.

The sound of crunching came from behind her, accompanied by a gentle, pale blue glow. She turned around to face her knight, which had emerged from the summoning rune of its own accord. She smiled and curtseyed and it bowed to her before picking a small, white flower and handing it to her. She let out a giggle before sniffing it, tucking the flower behind her ear before proceeding to dance through the flower field.

All the while, her knight was never more than ten paces away from her, keeping watch over their surroundings as she danced freely among the wildflowers, the gentle breeze joining her in dance. The sunlight today was warm even in the middle of winter. Or perhaps it was her heart which warmed her surroundings. It seemed no matter the state of the world, it only took Lilly's presence to bring light.

But lately it seemed that light grew dimmer and dimmer.

_Lilly_... the voice whispered in her head as it always did. _Don't ignore me, Lilly._

Her effort to disregard the voice, as valiant as it was, ultimately ended in vain. Again, Lilly found her fists balling of their own will, anger once more rising to the surface. Peace was no longer in her heart. The toll the Labyrinth took on her soul was insurmountable, filling her with frustration and hatred.

_Stop it, _she told herself fruitlessly. _Focus on the good._

But it was impossible to focus on the good when there was so much evil in the world.

A gentle hand placed itself on her shoulder and stilled her heart. She slowly turned to face her knight, which, despite the visor down over its face, seemed to exude a calmness that overrode the turmoil growing in her soul. Overcome by emotion, she lunged at her knight, wrapping her arms around him as she began to sob quietly. He returned her embrace, holding her head close, covering her with his blue and gold cape to shield her from the world.

Once she regained her bearing, Lilly backed away, standing in front of her knight, looking up to him. She gave him her biggest smile and she could sense a smile behind his visor, their souls interlocking as one.

"Should we go and enjoy the festival?" she asked him.

Her knight responded with a single nod.

"Awesome!"

—

"Yes!" Ruby yelled with a triumphant hop as she won the air rifle match.

"I don't even know why I still bother," Jaune said, setting down his air rifle. "I literally get zero practice since I don't even _have_ a gun."

"My condolences," Demetri said, patting him on the back.

"Okay!" Ruby said, pointing at Demetri. "You think you can take me on?"

"I will do my best, ma'am."

"Aww, don't call me ma'am! You make me sound old!"

"But you _are_ old," Ariadne said.

"Hush!"

Demetri and Ruby took their places at the booth, preparing for the final air rifle match. Once the buzzer sounded, they both went as quickly and accurately as they could. Halfway through the round, Ruby noticed that Demetri's score surpassed hers by ten points. Only through luck and sheer determination did she manage to close the gap, ultimately beating him by a single point.

Ruby let out a heavy sigh, setting down her air rifle.

"Good game," Demetri said.

"Did you let me win?" she said. "You didn't let me win, did you?"

"Of course not."

"Grr. You better not!"

After retrieving her prize, Ruby led the way along with Ariadne to the next activity.

"Smart move letting her win," Jaune said.

"I, too, value my life," Demetri said.

"Ugh!" Ruby yelled from up ahead. "I knew it!"

Ariadne couldn't help but chuckle, but her joyousness was cut short when she spotted Lilly further down, strolling around the festival with her knight in tow.

"What in the world?" she mumbled.

"Wait, is that her knight?" Jaune said as he and Demetri caught up with them.

Demetri looked around, noticing some of the reactions of onlookers.

_"Whoa, check out that costume!"_

_"Holy crap, that's expert level cosplay!"_

_"Yeah, it even looks all see-through and stuff!"_

_"I wonder how they managed to do that."_

_"Man, look at that attention to detail!"_

_"How much time do you think it took to put all that together?"_

Demetri couldn't help but chuckle. "If only you all knew," he mumbled.

"Hey, guys!" Lilly called out before skipping to them.

"You seem quite elated," Ariadne said.

"Mm-hmm!" She turned to Ruby, eyeing the big stuffed penguin she was holding. "Oh! Did you win that?"

"Yup!" she said. "None of these guys can beat me in air rifle shooting!"

"Oooh, I bet! Your scythe turns into a big sniper rifle, doesn't it?"

Ruby put down her stuffed toy before pulling out Crescent Rose and deploying it fully. "You bet!"

"It's just like Leon's weapon!"

"Yeah, he took after his mom," Jaune said. "Although his scythe is more like Qrow's."

"And Athena uses a shield!'

Jaune chuckled. "Yeah, but her fighting style actually mostly comes from an old friend of ours who died in the war."

"Oh."

"Hey, don't be down. She died a hero."

"Wait, was that Pyrrha Nikos?"

"Yeah. She was on our team back in the day. She was the best out of all of us, to be honest."

"It's no surprise Athena's the best out of us, too, then."

Jaune let the smile form on his face, a smile of pride in his daughter, the very embodiment of valor and strength. Meanwhile, Ruby watched as the nostalgia took hold of her husband. Pyrrha was his first love and her death was devastating, not just to him, but to all of them. It seemed that, finally, after nearly twenty years of grieving, he had found the strength to move on.

"We also have Jaune to thank for that," Ruby said, taking his hand in hers and locking fingers with him. "I might have the combat skill, but he's got the discipline and tactical know-how."

He gave her a smile.

"I think this would be a good time for a photo," Demetri said, standing at a nearby booth. "How about a souvenir for your birthday?"

"It's your birthday today?" Ruby said.

Lilly nodded sheepishly.

"Why didn't you say anything?" she all but yelled.

"Oh, uh, I'm sorry?"

"Ugh! We coulda done something else besides hanging out on campus all day!"

"But I had fun today."

Ruby's demeanor softened. "Well, if that's the case, then okay. C'mon, let's go get a picture!"

"Photobomb time!" Dionysus yelled before jumping in front of the group.

"Oh, goodness," Ariadne said. "You know there's no picture being taken _right now_, don't you?"

"Huh?" he said, looking over at Demetri, who waited for them at the photography booth. "Oh." He laughed. "I'm still photobombing!"

"C'mon, then!" Lilly said, excitedly leading the way to the booth.


	5. Chapter V

CHAPTER V

_Growing Up Too Fast_

Athena continued to spy on the Grimm moving around the countryside as the rest of her team remained on standby. Training today was cut short thanks to Grimm incursions in the northwest region, not quite within eyesight of Mistral, but much too close to the capital for comfort nonetheless. The snow made it difficult to travel on foot, though an aerial drop was out of the question thanks to the weather, which was exceptionally harsh today.

Echo landed beside her partner with a barely audible crunch of snow.

"There's a lot more than usual," she began her report. "As far as I can tell, there aren't any flying Grimm around, but there are quite a few Ursa along with the Beowolves. There's also a Grimm I've never seen before."

"What does it look like?" Penny asked.

"Like a gorilla, I think."

"Beringel Grimm," Ren mumbled. "They've been increasing in number."

"Isn't Salem sealed away?" Nora said. "How are new types of Grimm spawning?"

"I think the more pertinent question," Yuan began, "is how any Grimm are spawning at all."

"Okay, this is a good time to put together teams," Penny said. "Team APEX is together, obviously. I'll be working with Ren, Nora, and Astor. Ivory, I believe Team LILY could use a sub for the time being."

"I will do my best," Ivory said.

"We're gonna have to change our name with you on the team, though," Leon said. "Hmm. Doesn't really work with your first name. What about...hey, we can use last names, right? We can be team SILY!"

Yuan chuckled.

"Leon, that's stupid," Ingrid said flatly.

"I agree with Ingrid," Ivory said. "And besides, there's no need to change the name. This is Lilly's team, after all. I am not here to usurp her position. I am merely keeping her seat warm."

"Well, then," Athena said, standing up with her team. "You ready for a kill count contest? See who's the best team around?"

"There's no need for a contest," Ivory said, standing up with her own team as well. "That was already settled at last year's Vytal Festival Tournament."

"Oooh, daaamn, son," Astor said.

"We'll remain on standby as reserves in case any of you need backup," Penny said.

"APEX!" Athena declared.

"Hooah!" her team cried out before leading the charge.

"Leon, Yuan, you're on vanguard," Ivory said. "Ingrid, I'm leaving you in scouting roles. I'll be support."

"Yes, ma'am!" the two boys said, heading out first.

"Yuan," Penny said into her headset, "don't forget what we talked about earlier."

"Yes, Penny-senpai," he replied. "I won't use any of my magic at all until we can figure things out."

"Good. I don't want you losing consciousness out there."

"So," Astor said, milling about, "what's our team name? We've got R, N, P, and A. NARP? PRAN? None of those make any sense. Eh, I give up."

"I can't think of anything either," Nora sighed.

"We should probably focus on the battle instead of brainstorming team names," Ren said.

—

Leon and Yuan found themselves deep within enemy lines, but Ivory was quick to give them support, bombarding the surrounding Grimm from afar with Dust attacks before providing the two an avenue of escape via platform glyphs.

"Thanks for the hand," Leon said.

"It's our turn!" Athena yelled, leading the charge with Perseus. Their brute strength alone was enough to make short work of two Ursa Grimm and a group of Beowolves while Xanthus covered Echo, who rained arrows on their enemies.

"Perseus, you're overextending," Athena said. "Slow down and wait for the rest of us."

He gave her a nod before holding his position against enemy lines.

Once Team LILY had recovered their own stamina, they joined in the fray, fighting side by side with Team APEX. A lone Beowolf had managed to sneak past Xanthus, making its way toward the team's archer, but Ingrid was at her side in a flash, breaking her staff weapon in two and slicing the Beowolf's head clean from its shoulders.

"Thanks for the save," Echo said before transforming her bow into a staff and fighting alongside the only Faunus of the group.

Meanwhile, Athena had wandered too deep into the battlefield and ended up surrounded by Grimm of all types, including a number of Deathstalkers and Creeps that emerged from the snow. She looked all around, assessing the Grimm formation, mapping out in her head where she would attack first. Before she could fully formulate a plan, the Beowolves directly in front of her took a massive bombardment from the sky, a rain of Fire Dust incinerating the first line.

Ivory landed right next to Athena, the two of them standing back to back against the circle of Grimm.

"Nice of you to join me," Athena said.

"I couldn't allow my only rival in all of Remnant to get killed by a bunch of weak Grimm," Ivory said.

"You sure you can keep up?"

"I wouldn't deserve the Schnee name if I couldn't."

Ivory projected her strengthening glyphs on her body as she and Athena burst forth into the horde of Grimm, slashing and stabbing their way through their numbers. Athena took care of most short-range combat while Ivory supplemented their offensive power with ranged Dust attacks.

"Check that out," Leon said, standing next to Perseus.

"I suppose that's what happens when the Golden Girl of Vale and Ivory Schnee fight alongside each other," Yuan said, resting his weapon on his shoulder.

"All done on this side," Ingrid said, rejoining the group with Echo and Xanthus.

"Incredible," Xanthus said, pushing up his glasses. "I think they've wiped out more Grimm between the two of them than the rest of us combined."

"No surprise, really," Perseus said.

Once the battle was over, the other six applauded them.

"Were all of you really just standing there watching us?" Ivory said.

"I wasn't about to get in the middle of all that death," Leon said. "Although, if you wanted a handsome prince to rescue you so bad, you coulda said so."

She sighed heavily, walking right past him.

"What a cold shoulder," Yuan said, to which Perseus responded with a high-five.

"I'm hungry as shit now," Athena said, joining the group. "Echo, Ingrid, perimeter check."

Without another word, the two disappeared into the woods.

"You giving my team orders now?" Leon said.

"_Your_ team leader just walked off," Athena chuckled. "Which was your fault entirely."

"She's right, though," Xanthus said.

"Everything's clear," Echo's voice sounded in the team's earpieces.

"Okay, regroup with us," Penny said. "We have one more site to investigate before we head back to the city."

—

Leon threw himself onto the couch as soon as they walked into the common area of their dorm.

"Dude, make some room," Perseus said.

"Get your own couch, man," Leon said.

"How did your hunts go?" Winter asked as she entered from an adjacent hallway.

"Very good, mother," Ivory said, standing before her. "We managed to completely wipe out three entire groups of Grimm that had crossed Mistral's surveillance line. None escaped."

"That's very good to hear. In anticipation of your exhaustion, I decided to go ahead and order some food for all of you so Ren doesn't have to cook."

"Ohh, fooood!" Nora said. "I'm soooo hungry!"

"You're always hungry, though," Ren said.

"I am!"

Penny chuckled before heading over to Winter. "I have a few things to discuss with you concerning possible defensive strategies in anticipation of an attack by Atlas."

"Very well," Winter said. "Let's talk upstairs."

"Moooove!" Ingrid said, throwing Leon's feet off the couch.

"Ow!" he whined. "You suck!"

The rest of the two groups sprawled themselves wherever they could. Only Ivory and Athena still had the energy to stand.

"I hadn't anticipated how difficult it would be to fight three consecutive battles in thick snow," Xanthus said. "We may need to do some conditioning in case we do more hiking in this weather."

"Hey," Athena said, holding out a fist toward Ivory. "That was some good shit out there."

"Likewise," Ivory said, holding out a hand instead. Athena wouldn't shake hands, insisting on bumping fists. Neither did Ivory yield to the gesture, instead reaching over and meeting the fist with an open hand in an odd variation of the handshake.

"So," Athena said, walking side by side with her rival down the hall to the training center. "Is that how you ran your old team, too?"

"In early years, yes," Ivory said. "When it was necessary to micromanage them. These days, I don't need to give as many commands. Each team member knows everyone's strengths and weaknesses and can adjust accordingly. It's no different from the way you run your team, Athena, although it seems your strategist is actually Xanthus while you're the tactician."

"You take both roles in your team?"

She shook her head. "I dictate overall strategy. It's up to each individual team member to call out tactical maneuvers based on the situation."

"Good luck with Team LILY, then," she chuckled. "Lilly herself wasn't really the kind of leader you and I are. She was more of an inspiration to her team. I mean, she didn't even go to combat school, so yeah."

Ivory was quiet for a while. It wasn't until they arrived at the training halls that she broke her silence. "Lilly's not the only inspiration to her team, you know."

Athena looked over at her as they squared off in the middle of the room.

"Your team also looks up to you."

"You sound like you're about to say some crap like you wish you were as inspiring to your team as Lilly."

Ivory didn't answer.

"Hey, we all gotta find our niche in life."

Athena started the bout, dashing at Ivory, who projected glyphs to defend and commence her own counteroffensive.

—

"Status," Raven's voice sounded over the comms.

"Everything's clear," Lucia said.

"Clear on my end," Aurora said.

"Hillphire's busy with all his shit," Yang said into her microphone. "Nobody's tried to kill him yet."

"Keep an eye out anyway," Raven said.

"Yup." She turned to the door to the armory as it opened. "Oh, Uncle Qrow, what're you doing here?"

"Just hangin' out," he said. "Hollie's busy with the Council again. Come to think of it, I don't think she's ever been this busy with official business."

"It's hard to think the girl we knew all those years ago would become a politician, huh?"

"I guess. Although, she's always been passionate about stuff. All it took was a little push to get her to actually do the things she wanted to do for the people and the next thing we know, she's Headmaster of Haven and a sitting member of the Mistral Council."

"Everybody's gotta grow up sometime, huh?"

He looked over at her. "You and Ruby grew up way too fast for my taste. And your dad agrees."

"Mom doesn't seem to mind."

"Of course Raven doesn't care. But, I guess not in a bad way. She's always seen the world for what it is and her wanting you to grow up was more because she wanted you to be able to take care of yourself."

"Yeah, I guess. I wish I could've protected Ruby from all of it, though. Out of all of us, she was the one who needed to stay pure."

"Nothing we can do about that when we're thrown into the middle of a goddamn war."

"Yeah."

"How's the mad scientist doing?"

"He hasn't come out of his friggin' lab in four days now."

"I heard his record was, like, eleven days or something."

"Oh, god. I can't even imagine the smell."

The door to Hillphire's private machine shop flew open and he stood triumphantly in the doorway.

"I've finally done it!" he yelled. His hair was a mess, parts of it burnt off, apron barely hanging on over his tattered lab coat.

"Oh, jeez!" Qrow said as he and Yang pinched their noses. "William, what the hell is that smell?"

"It's like," Yang began with a cough, "like fucking stale grease mixed with piss and sweat! Have you even showered?"

"When science is on the line, there is no time for showers!" Hillphire declared.

"The hell exactly have you been working on anyway?" Qrow asked.

"Just a small project, but it's finally finished!"

"Yeah, yeah, you should probably go bathe or something," Yang said, eyeing a team of personnel heading toward Hillphire with hazmat suits and cleaning equipment.

"Leave this to us, ma'am," one of the men said.

"We're professionals," another said.

"Oh, man, I hope you're getting paid good for that," Yang said.

Hillphire drowsily watched as the cleaning crew closed the door behind them. He sniffed himself and retched. "Oh, wow, I did not notice how much I smelled," he said.

"Yo, please, take a shower," Qrow said.

"I think I will," he said before he disappeared into the locker rooms.

"Any word on Atlas?" Yang asked Qrow.

"Nothing," he said. "I've been doing some prying, but all I get is static. Mostly just the usual traffic between northern Anima and the capital, but nothing that screams out Atlas military."

"Speaking of Atlas military, is it true?"

"Hmm?"

"Ivory."

"Oh. Yeah, she's my kid. Wow, word travels pretty quickly."

"I'm not judging. Hell, it's not like my hands are completely clean."

"But _you_ didn't get pregnant with the guy."

"Fair enough."

—

"That's what the defense ministry has decided so far," Winter said. "But I do get where you're coming from. In all likelihood, this will end up just like twenty years ago, with the children being involved in a war that has nothing to do with them in the first place. Frankly, Penny, it surprises me that you of all people would be so quick to accept the possibility of them getting dragged into all this."

Penny looked at the ground. "There was a time when I would've actively denied the possibility and tried to shield them in every way I could," she began, "but I've grown up, too. I know that there's no way I can completely cover them from the horrors of the world without also leaving them woefully unprepared for it. I'm sure you've had the same thoughts about your own daughter."

"It's different with Ivory. I've always known she would follow my footsteps and become a soldier. We all knew it as soon as she started playing with her glyphs at only four years of age. Before she even turned ten, she had already mastered her Semblance. No one has managed to do anything even remotely similar. She's also the first to use her glyphs in such an innovative fashion, using them to augment her physical attributes such as speed and strength. I believe she has also been working on a glyph that directly reinforces her aura by creating a buffer that decreases the amount of damage her aura takes with each impact."

"She really is a prodigy. You must be proud of her."

"I am. But, in spite of all that, there's still so much for her to learn about the world."

"Isn't that true for all of us?"

"Indeed. Anyway, about this training program you wanted to implement, I will certainly lend you my help."

"Speaking of which, what of your status with Atlas? Will you be okay staying here?"

"Yes. I've left someone trustworthy in charge of my unit."

"That's not what I mean. The situation between all of the kingdoms is starting to take a turn for the worse. If Atlas perceives that you are somehow disloyal to them, won't your family be taken hostage?"

"My father has strong ties with the Atlas military. It won't be that simple."

"No, I mean your _real_ family."

"I've already taken steps to keep my brother and his children safe. Even our butler is included in these contingency plans."

"You're sure about that?"

She nodded. "There are people I trust in Atlas ranks that I have little connection to, ostensibly. They won't be suspected and could move as they please should a situation arise."

"I just want to make sure. Your daughter might be perceived as a fugitive and you might also be labeled as such."

"Whitley's too much of a public figure. The military wouldn't dare taint its own image by doing something as villainous as taking hostage the family of a prominent businessman. And besides that, Whitley can't make any moves of his own without risking his family. Atlas knows this. They have him exactly where they want him for now."

"Wow. Leave it to the military commander to know what moves to make."

"As a mother and a sister, I don't like having my family in such close proximity to danger, but as a tactician, I understand how the game is played. They are safer where they are right now as opposed to them being on the run and being overtly dissident. Now, let's talk about some of the details of how you want to train the youngsters."

"I wanna focus a bit on Yuan," Penny said. "Besides Lilly and Weiss, I'm about the only person in all of Remnant who knows anything about that whole rune magic thing. I'd like to train with him one-on-one to try and fully hone his control over his power. When he tried to use it a while ago, he could barely sustain the magical energy for mere seconds before it wiped out his stamina."

"Didn't he fight for an extended period when the Wraith thing first emerged?"

"Yeah, that's what bugs me. During the Wraith-Knight's first emergence, he had full control, maximum output, and he barely broke a sweat. Now he can't even sustain it for longer than a few seconds."

"Do you think it has something to do with being in the real world as opposed to the Labyrinth?"

Penny thought it for a moment. It was true that Yuan's first encounter with the Wraith-Knight was within the Labyrinth. Perhaps an ancient being of pure magic was most stable in a world born of pure magic such as the Labyrinth.

"Liam has been working on a rift generator down at the Forge," Penny said. "We might be able to make use of that."

"I still think this Labyrinth business is extremely risky," Winter said, "but it seems that may become a battleground anyway, given your report on what you went through in Kuroyuri."

"Let's hope that isn't the case."

—

Yuan stood against the guard rail in Haven Academy's garden, looking out over the city, which was blanketed in white from all the snowfall. He looked at the back of his hand. There was no rune on his flesh today, but this was where it was supposed to appear, according to Penny and the others who knew of Sir Bedivere of Kameloth, the first to bear such things in all of Remnant.

"Yo," Perseus said, joining him against the banister.

"Hi," Yuan said.

"Thinkin' about your superpowers?"

"Yeah, I guess." He noticed Perseus rubbing his hand. "Does this have something to do with that rune on your left hand as well?"

Perseus stopped rubbing, slowly turning to his companion. "You can see it?"

"I'm guessing I'm the only one who can, given your expression."

"I figured you would be the first to notice after all that Wraith-Knight business. Probably has something to do with magical sight or something."

"I suppose. Do you want to talk about it?"

"What's there to talk about? Lilly called it the Rune of Atonement. Not exactly sure what that means."

"It looks different from any other rune. It doesn't have any of the lettering or the geometric designs."

"Yeah. She called it a Primal Rune. It's supposed to be, like, the pinnacle of concepts or something. This one is supposed to be the symbol of Judgment. Or something."

"I see. Can you do anything with it?"

He shook his head. "I have no idea why this thing chose me."

"Probably because you feel guilty about something."

His hand twitched.

"I don't think I'm the only one who noticed, but when Athena was about to drive her spear into you, it didn't look like you intended to dodge. Also, you were quite reckless today in battle."

"You noticed that, too, huh?"

"I didn't get the impression you were trying to hide it."

Perseus sighed.

"Are you blaming yourself for Lilly's separation from us?"

That wasn't it. Perseus hadn't told them the entire story, that it was, by extension, his fault that she had changed so much as a person. Gone was the pure white flower that they had met at Beacon Academy. And it was all his fault.

"I'm sure you already know this," Yuan began, "but that was her choice to make, not yours."

"If I didn't give her the idea, she'd still be with us right now."

"Maybe, maybe not. None of us could stop her incursions into the Labyrinth. You know she's been doing that long before, don't you? Back when I was in a coma after that accident in the woods, it was her who went through my Labyrinth to get me out of it."

"Yeah, I know."

"Yes, and like I said, nothing any of us could have done would have stopped her."

"I guess."

Yuan put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "It is important to forgive oneself. Only then can you find peace."

The snow crunched under Yuan's boots as he headed back inside. Perseus looked at the image on the back of his left hand. The scales were in balance, but as he stared at the image, the eye atop the central pillar opened up to gaze back at him.

He sighed heavily before heading back into the dorm as well.


	6. Chapter VI

CHAPTER VI

_The Heiress to an Ancient Legacy_

"Okay, do you all understand the mission?" Ariadne said to Lilly and her team.

"Our objective is simple," Demetri began, "which is to enter and eliminate the source of the distortion, the manifestation of the internal trauma present at the core of the Labyrinth, before severing the bonds that tie the victim to their Labyrinth."

"Thank you, Demetri," Ariadne began, "but I was hoping to hear from the new members of your team."

"Oh. I apologize."

Ruby giggled. "It's okay, this won't be our first gig. We're professional Huntsmen, after all."

"Yeah, and this isn't our first Labyrinth either," Jaune said.

"Well then," Ariadne said. "If there aren't any questions, all your equipment is on the table. We've prepared light packs for you this time since we do not anticipate you being in there longer than four hours, maximum."

"This could be a good time to test out those new rune gems you developed," Jaune said, pulling out the gemstone from his pack which contained a rune inside of it.

"H-Hey!" Ruby said. "I think we should just stay close to Lilly, just in case!"

"I agree with that," Ariadne said. "If my theory is correct, that rune should anchor your existence well enough to prevent the Labyrinth from completely overcoming your souls, but it's still experimental at best. And I'm not willing to throw random test subjects to see if it actually works."

"Yeah, but I wanna know it works before I rely on it, you know?" Jaune said.

"Stop suggesting dumb things!" Ruby said. "Ugh! Now I know where Leon gets it from!"

"That's not very nice!"

"Okay," Lilly said. "Let's do this."

The others looked at her. The smile was gone, replaced by a fierce scowl.

"I'm getting Weiss vibes right now," Ruby said.

"Yeah, me, too," Jaune said.

"Ivory vibes for me," Demetri said, following after his team leader.

The quartet marched all the way down to the center of the massive chamber below as the Rift Generators began to hum, destabilizing space-time in the center of the circle. They all stood closely around Lilly as she focused on the rift. In a flash, their surroundings morphed, the world emptying of any sentient souls aside from their own.

"Testing," Ariadne's voice sounded in their headsets.

"We read you," Demetri said.

"Excellent. All dials are reading nominal values. We have visual confirmation that you are no longer in real space. The LabNav is picking you up in the Labyrinth's First Layer."

"It's not as dark as I remember it," Ruby said.

"You must be referring to the Third Layer," Ariadne said. "The farther down you go, the darker things get and the stronger the distortion becomes."

"Also the further from true reality we travel," Demetri said, "which is one of the reasons odd things start to happen like the time discrepancy, difficulty communicating, and unpredictable phenomena."

"The deeper you go in the Third Layer, the more unstable reality itself becomes."

"Because the Labyrinth is a physical manifestation of the human subconscious, right?" Jaune said.

"Correct."

"The most twisted Labyrinths we'll encounter are those with severe depression and psychosis," Lilly said, leading the way out of the Rift Hall. "You'll wanna keep an eye out on the actual environment if we ever find ourselves in one of those."

"What do you mean?" Ruby said.

"It's not uncommon for spatial shifts," Demetri said. "Lilly and I were once nearly separated during a space-time instability event, but her magic was able to force stability in a bubble of space-time."

"That is theoretically what those rune gems should do for you," Ariadne said. "It replicates Lilly's magic to an extent, anchoring reality around you in a stable form."

"If it works as intended," Jaune said.

"We've run some tests with unmanned drones in the past and they seem to work fine, but you're right, field testing is still limited to no more than that."

"Okay, we're out in Shade Academy's courtyard," Lilly said into her headset. "We're still in the First Layer."

"You're getting a lot better at keeping yourself from descending prematurely," Ariadne said.

"I've had a lot of practice. Anyway, the next target is close to the outer wall, isn't it?"

"Just outside of the wall, actually, in the extended city just before the desert."

"Yeah, I've got it on my map. Okay, team, let's move."

As they trekked through the abandoned First Layer of the Labyrinth, Ruby couldn't help but notice how different Lilly was. She was almost identical to Weiss in her seriousness, maybe even more so.

"Where are all the monsters?" Jaune said. "I remember the last time we got sucked into a Labyrinth, there were nasty monsters everywhere."

"I think that's the whole layer thing," Ruby said. "Remember what Ariadne ran through with us before?"

"Yeah. The First Layer is just below the surface world, an exact copy of the real world, but without any people. The Second Layer is all foggy, meant to represent the less-known collective unconscious. The Third Layer is supposed to be all the repressed stuff, right?"

"That's why it's the darkest," Demetri said. "But there is a Fourth Layer, which is really a misnomer because it exists across all layers, permeating every corner and threatening to invade without any advance notice. This manifestation of a personal Labyrinth represents trauma. The Labyrinth Navigator picks it up as a sudden distortion wave that can propagate at extreme speeds in all directions."

"We usually know beforehand where one might be located," Ariadne said, "based on previously gathered information about our current targets."

"So we theoretically shouldn't get caught off-guard when we head into our destination," Jaune said.

"Theoretically," Ruby mimed.

"Nothing is certain in the Labyrinth," Lilly said. "Perhaps the same could be said about the real world as well."

The rest of the team was quiet as they crossed through the city's outer wall, marching through deserted streets toward their next target. As they ventured out, the sky became overcast, their vision obscured by a thick blanket of fog.

"This must be the Second Layer," Jaune said.

"The closer we get to a powerful distortion like a personal Labyrinth," Lilly began, "the harder it is for me to keep us in the upper layers. It's why we took the route we did."

"You mean we were actively avoiding other distortions around the city?" Ruby said.

Lilly nodded. "Some of those, we've already taken care of, Demetri and me, so those are totally gone. Others were..."

"Others are a work in progress," Demetri finished.

"You're nearing the target," Ariadne said. "We'll most likely lose contact once you cross the threshold. The distortion for this one is massively unstable."

"Hang on a minute," Jaune began, "if time is distorted down here, too, does that mean that we could travel in all sorts of directions in time?"

"As of yet, we've only confirmed temporal speed variations. Lilly and Demetri and our observation equipment have yet to experience outright backwards time travel."

"Oh. Th-That's good to know."

"Perhaps it's some kind of cosmic failsafe system designed to minimize causality issues."

"...What?" Ruby said. "Wait, never mind. I'll just ask Professor Ozpin about that later. I think I see our target right in front of us."

"What the heck is this...?" Jaune said.

Before the quartet stood a building, if it could be called that. Unlike any of the other structures around, this one was no more than a big block of gray concrete which covered a tiny portion of the street, no larger than a small house. There were no windows to speak of, nor any doors or other features.

"This is a Labyrinth?" Jaune said.

"According to the readings," Ariadne said, "you're standing right in front of a severe distortion."

"How the heck do we get in?" Ruby said.

Lilly walked forward until she was inches away from the block of concrete. She looked upward, measuring the structure with her eyes. She reached out, placing her palm on the building. Right before them, a door materialized, connecting the inside of this plain structure to the outside.

"Oh, wow, how did you do that?" Jaune said.

"Perhaps the owner of this Labyrinth accepts her," Demetri said. "Let us proceed."

The quartet stepped through the newly formed doorway, which disappeared behind them as they crossed through.

"Now what?" Ruby said, glancing back briefly before joining her husband in awe at their surroundings. The internal space of this building certainly did not match its external appearance. The room they were now in was easily several city blocks, the opposite of the tiny space it occupied outside.

"So," Jaune began, "_this_ is a Labyrinth."

"Stick close," Lilly said before pushing forward.

—

Ariadne let out a heavy sigh before leaning back in her chair.

"Tired?" Orion said from behind her.

She gave him a glance before yawning. "We just lost contact with them."

"Another deep Labyrinth, hmm?"

"Yes. The distortion this time is much worse than any we've encountered in the past. It is entirely possible for them to re-establish communications with us ten seconds from now while a day has passed for them. Or vice versa."

"I brought you some coffee. I notice you haven't been getting any sleep."

"I could say the same to you," she said as she accepted the paper cup. "How is progress with the Vacuo Council?"

"They're listening to father and me, fortunately. Unfortunately, I think they're too slow to act. Our intelligence reports that Atlas is preparing for something big. Their likely targets are our northern border and possibly Menagerie."

"Has Queen Belladonna requested any aid?"

"Not at all. She says that the population of Menagerie is quite against the idea of participating in a war. The Faunus aren't exactly a large population to begin with, and given how much they've suffered over the years, it's not surprising that they are hardly itching to send more of their young men and women to die."

"I certainly don't blame them."

The computer beeped and Ariadne looked at the lower right hand corner of her monitor. There was a message from Mistral.

"Oh, perfect," Ariadne said, setting down her coffee and typing away.

"Hmm?" Orion said.

"Dr. Hillphire just replied to the message I sent last week."

"Regarding the Rift system you developed?"

"Yes." She scanned the message. "It looks like they've got someone else there who can use the same magic Lilly uses, but on a much smaller scale."

"Really? Another rune user?"

"Not quite. They still don't know the extent of his powers. They only manifested a few weeks ago and haven't been able to explore it at all. But if they can replicate the rune-based technology we've been developing..."

"Then they could also start their own counter-Labyrinth program."

"Precisely."

"This is what the five kingdoms should be working on together, not war over limited natural resources and perceived territorial disputes."

"We're all counting on you, big brother. Vacuo has historically had zero centralized leadership, but you might be it."

"I only hope I can make a positive difference. I'll be heading back up. Do you want me to pass on the word to Dr. Cherenkov? About the message from Dr. Hillphire?"

"No need to bother. I'll text him."

"Very well, then." He stopped at the exit. "Ariadne, I hope you know that what you are doing is not going unappreciated. It might not be public knowledge, but those of us who do know of what's going on down here understand the difference you make."

"I thank you, Orion. Although it doesn't bother me one bit that people don't know what we're doing down here, hearing you say that means much to me."

"Carry on, little sister."

—

The group pressed up against a corner as Lilly peeked around, spying on a cluster of Corrupted. These were all humanoid in appearance with grotesque features as always, deformities of all manner covering their bodies. One had what appeared to be boils which periodically popped, splattering caustic fluids everywhere.

"We have no other way to go," Demetri said, scanning for alternate routes. "I think we have no choice this time but to fight."

"Yeah," Lilly said, readying Myrtenaster. "I guess break time's over. Everybody ready?"

Each one gave her a single nod.

"We shouldn't need any boosts right now, so we're going in without any Earth Rune spells. Follow my lead!"

Lilly was the first to round the corner into the hallway, engaging the Corrupted, which turned to attack her. One spat out what she could only guess was acid, but she had a Shield Rune between herself and the caustic splatter in a split second. In the next moment, she had Myrtenaster driven right through her enemy's skull. She looked to her right. Demetri had just pummeled his opponent to death with his gauntlets, moving on to the next target, firing his grappling hooks to reel his opponent in.

"There's more coming from this way!" Ruby yelled. "What the heck is going on? This hallway wasn't here before!"

"This area must be really unstable," Jaune said. "Don't stray too far from Lilly. We don't wanna get separated in time and space."

"Stop saying scary things like that!"

Lilly dashed between them, first to engage the monsters. Ruby couldn't believe the ferocity with which this girl fought. The Lilly Schnee they had met last year during the Vytal Festival was the sweetest person on the planet, but that girl did not exist at this moment. The Lilly they now accompanied was vicious, merciless toward the Corrupted.

As she drove Myrtenaster into the skull of a fallen enemy, she gave the other Corrupted a hateful gaze, drawing a rune in the air with Myrtenaster as a makeshift wand.

"Fire Rune!" she yelled. "_Hitzewelle_!"

The monsters in the path of the red-orange runic projection were hit by a blast of hot air. With nowhere to run, they all burst into flames, writhing on the ground before being reduced to ash.

"We've probably alerted every Corrupted in the area," Lilly said. "Let's keep moving before they all converge on us."

The physical environment continued to morph around them as they ran, with the hallways twisting around like a spiral. And yet, gravity continued to pull them "down," wherever "down" was at this point.

"I'm getting dizzy," Ruby said.

"As long as we haven't been separated," Demetri said.

"Has that ever happened to you two?" Jaune asked.

"No. Since I became Lilly's support, she has yet to fail in maintaining her assertion over the reality immediately around us. I also make sure never to stray too far from her."

"It works perfectly with your gauntlets, too, since you have those grappling hooks you can use to pull enemies to you."

Their environment morphed more severely this time, giving way to a factory of some sort with catwalks and conveyor belts going in senseless directions.

"Are those stairs upside down?" Jaune said.

"I'm getting _really_ dizzy now," Ruby said.

They watched in awe as Lilly jumped up to a set of upside down stairs, the distorted gravity pulling her upwards. To the other three, she was upside down.

"Huh," Jaune said. "You don't see that every day."

"Let's join her," Demetri said.

"Any idea where we're supposed to go?" Ruby said, looking around at the puzzling environment.

"I'm getting a faint feeling of the core of the Labyrinth this way," Lilly said, as she "climbed" the stairs downward.

"Ugh, I feel like we're stuck in an Escher painting."

"Better than a surreal painting," Jaune said.

"Or a Lovecraft novel," Demetri said.

"Oh, heck no!" Ruby said. "Ugh! Tentacles everywhere!"

"You spoke too soon!" Jaune said, pointing toward a mass of tentacles that reached out of a doorway they were headed to.

"Back!" Lilly said as the monstrosity came at them. "Get back!"

The tentacles attacked, forcing the team to scatter, each one landing on their own separate region of gravitational normalcy.

"Oh, this is really _confusing_!" Ruby yelled as she looked over at Jaune, who was "above" her on his own upside down platform. Across from him was Demetri, who stood on a sideways catwalk. Meanwhile, Lilly fended against the tentacles with Myrtenaster, darting from landing to landing, completely unfazed by the otherwise disorienting space. Fighting upside down and sideways was no problem for her.

"Look at that," Jaune said, making his way to her alongside Demetri. "She's really inherited her dad's skills."

"Even though she's never met him," Ruby said.

"I presume from this conversation that the both of you knew him," Demetri said.

"It's...a long story."

"Well," Jaune said, "you know what, I was once his squire. I'll be danged if I didn't live up to it!"

"Hey, wait!"

Jaune flailed as he nearly lost his balance on a sideways platform. "I'm okay!" He leaped to another platform, this one upside down. "Hey, this is actually pretty fun!"

"Oh, gosh. I guess we shouldn't just hang around down here. Let's go, Demetri!"

The trio joined Lilly on the assault, mostly trying to keep from floating away from all the gravitational and spatial distortions surrounding them. The tentacles grew in size to accommodate the larger number of attackers, but after enough damage to the flesh, the monster fully emerged from its shelter, obliterating the structure ahead and exposing its jellyfish-like body.

"Watch out!" Jaune said, leaping back. "That thing breathes out noxious gas!"

"_Frostatem_!" Lilly yelled as she projected a Water Rune, which launched a blast of frosty air. The attack did little and Lilly decided to amp up the power levels. "_Schneesturm_!"

The Water Rune generated a blizzard, which left the gigantic jellyfish monster in a semi-frozen state.

"Now's our chance!" Ruby yelled, transforming Crescent Rose into its gun form and firing away with shell after shell of explosive dust. Demetri joined in on the attack, transforming his gauntlets into gun mode and barraging the monster with Dust attacks as well. Jaune, too, began slashing away with his sword, projecting damaging aura waves at the monster.

In spite of the fusillade of Dust and magic attacks, the massive jellyfish-like monster didn't show any severe damage. Jaune noticed Lilly holding Myrtenaster with two hands. The last time he had seen this was years ago, back when this weapon was still in Weiss's possession. To his astonishment, Myrtenaster began to pulsate, each beat increasing with intensity until Myrtenaster's shape changed with a blinding flash of light.

"Now!" Lilly yelled, holding the knightly sword up above her head. "Begone!"

With a swing of her sword, she unleashed a wave of golden light that obliterated the monster, sending chunks of it flying in every direction. Myrtenaster was back to its original form and from what Jaune could tell, Lilly didn't seem to be aware of what had just happened.

"Did you see that, too?" Ruby said quietly.

Jaune glanced at her. "Yeah. There's no doubt about it."

"But, that wasn't Durandal. Weiss used it to seal Salem away all those years ago, and according to the tomb guards, it's still there."

"I know."

Of course Jaune knew what sword that was. After all, he had been entrusted with its safekeeping for a time while its true owner could not bear it. It was the sword that had simultaneously been their salvation and their near-damnation.

"How does Lilly have _that_ sword?" Ruby whispered.

"I don't know," Jaune answered, "but honestly, it's no surprise given who her dad is."

"Whew," Lilly sighed, wiping sweat off her forehead as she kicked a severed tentacle off of the catwalk. "Okay, let's go. The core should be through that big hole it made."

The others followed her into a chamber which resembled a bedroom, though the furniture was oppressive in construction, to say the least. The only chair in the room was misshapen, creating a lot of pressure points for whoever might sit in it. The bed was far too short, even for a child, and with exposed springs that would most definitely serve only to torment.

"The heck kind of bedroom is this?" Jaune muttered.

"The kind that appears in the nightmares of those with severe depression," Lilly answered. Her gaze was fixed on a young boy in the corner of the room, curled up into a ball. From his back extended those same, red, vein-like tendrils which pulsated with light. They disappeared into the wall.

"Leave this to her," Demetri said.

"Have you ever freed anyone from this?" Jaune asked him.

He shook his head. "In the months I've been working with her, she has been the only one to do so. I sense that perhaps she feels most responsible for their release. And I do not wish to deprive her of the fulfillment of her duty."

Ruby walked over to the boy with Lilly, who knelt down in front of the child.

"Hey," Ruby said, stooping over.

The boy said nothing, continuing to sob endlessly.

"This is really bad," Lilly said. "I've never seen someone so lost."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.

"Normally, when a person passes a certain threshold, they disappear completely, absorbed into the Labyrinth itself as their despair takes them over to their very core. In the real world, this results in suicide or loss of all will to live. It's the point of no return, so to speak."

From the way she spoke, Ruby could tell that she had experience in the matter. Perhaps that was the cause of the all-too-stoic Lilly before her now.

"I've never seen anything like this before, though. He's still here, but unresponsive."

"Does your magic work on them? Maybe something can help."

She shook her head. "There may be one thing, but I have to be careful. One wrong move and it might destabilize his whole mental state. Also, haven't you noticed?"

"Noticed?"

"You don't remember the briefing before we entered the Labyrinth?"

"You mean about the heavy distortions?"

Lilly shook her head. "Look at him. Is he supposed to look like this?"

Ruby looked back down at the boy, realizing what Lilly was referring to. "He's supposed to be in his twenties."

"This only happens in the most extreme of cases, where a person's own self-image is distorted. I doubt if there's anyone in the world who knows why he's taken on the form of his younger self. It may be regression or perhaps projection. Or maybe this was the source of it all."

"What did you do in the past when you came upon something like this?"

Without answering, Lilly reached out to the young boy, who recoiled, but acquiesced at her gentle touch. A rune pure and white appeared on the back of her hand and began to glow softly. This rune allowed Lilly's mind to connect with his. Normally, a telepathic connection was not necessary; she would usually talk to the inner self projected in the Labyrinth, but this person was so regressed that she couldn't even communicate with him the normal way.

As she dove into his mental landscape, Lilly found herself in the midst of mundane life. At least, it would have been mundane had the office and home life not been saturated with feelings of utter emptiness and hopelessness. She fought against the depression as she continued to press further, finally reaching the young man she had been searching for.

"You're...that girl...in my room," he said.

Lilly nodded. "Yeah. I figured you could hear me. I'm sorry for intruding on you like this, but I didn't know how else to reach you."

The man began to sob.

"My name is Lilly. What's yours?"

"I don't deserve a name."

His anxiety and lack of self-worth was beginning to weigh heavily on her. "That's not true. You absolutely do deserve a name. That's why your parents gave you one."

"No," he wept. "I'm nothing but a failure. I can't keep anything together. Not a job, not a wife, nothing. I've even pushed all my friends away."

Lilly found herself sobbing with the young man. It wasn't just the psychic link flooding her heart with his emotions. It was pure empathy that released the floodgates. She stepped forward, looking the young man in the eye before giving him the warmest embrace she could muster. It seemed to work. She continued to hold him in her arms as his sobbing became full-blown wailing.

She closed her eyes, cradling him as she gave him her full support. Eventually, after what seemed like hours, his crying died down somewhat.

"How...how did you do that?" he asked.

"Do what?" Lilly said.

"I feel...like a weight has been lifted..."

She smiled. "Maybe sometimes just a little human touch can go a long way."

He chuckled before wiping away another tear. "My name is Edward."

"Nice to meet you."

"I...I don't know how to thank you."

"Go back. To the real you. It'll take some time to heal, but you will. I promise. The sun _always_ rises every morning. Nights do come to an end."

"I think...for the first time in, maybe ever, I can believe that."

Lilly looked around as Edward and the environment around her began to fade away. She was back in the bedroom with her team, who looked around as the whole room reverted to a less nightmarish version, with normal proportions. The boy had also returned to his adult self, who smiled at Lilly as she reached up to the red tendrils, which dissipated with her touch.

"Thank you," Edward said as he faded away. "For everything. I promise to live, just as you said."

"Make sure to see your family," Lilly said. "They miss you, you know."

"I will..."

"All right," Lilly said, turning to her team, "we've gotta move. The collapse should be starting soon."

The ground rumbled.

"Lilly, can you hear me?" Ariadne's voice sounded in the team's headsets.

"No time!" Lilly said. "The collapse is already starting!"

"I can confirm on my end. Get out of there!"

The group dashed through a mash-up of office rooms and apartment complexes. Nothing was in any way, shape, or form the same as it was when they first entered.

"How the heck are we supposed to know where to go?" Ruby yelled. "This is a totally different place than earlier!"

"Make a left!" Ariadne said. "Now turn right! The exit should be less than a hundred yards ahead of you!"

Demetri was the first to realize that Lilly was no longer behind them. He ground to a halt before looking back in a panic, spotting Lilly standing in front of a mirror.

"Lilly!" he yelled.

She didn't seem to hear him. He ran in her direction, but stared in terror at the reflection in the glass. It was a near-identical copy of Lilly, with the major differences being their clothes and the golden, otherworldly glow coming from her eyes.

In a daze, Lilly fell into the mirror, shattering it, but to Demetri's horror, it reconstructed itself as she disappeared. He ran to the glass, banging on it to no avail.

"Lilly!" he cried out.


	7. Chapter VII

CHAPTER VII

_Dangerous Games_

Yuan squared off against his opponents as they slowly positioned themselves around him, one directly in front, two to either side. Ingrid was the first to attack, splitting off two identical clones with her Semblance to use as decoys while she attacked head on. Leon dashed in as well, using his teleportation Semblance to try and disorient him. Ivory went for ranged Dust attacks instead, knowing full well his prowess in close quarters combat.

His first move was to hit Leon with a powerful lightning attack from his Ji halberd. The moment he was sent flying back, he engaged Ingrid, seeing right through her illusions and going straight for her. She gasped, failing to anticipate his directness and her concentration was broken, her two clones vanishing. She scuffled with him for a moment before he struck her with a left hook, which broke her aura. She somersaulted back to put some distance between them.

Ivory was the last target. Yuan knew that she was well-versed in close-range combat, but ranged attacks were her forte. He needed to close the gap quickly, though her saber would have an advantage if he got too close. When in striking distance, Yuan attacked, his Ji halberd giving him a slight edge in range and power, though her attacks were quicker than his.

The tables turned when Ivory projected a glyph in front of him to stop his movement. It was enough for her to gain the distance she needed to open up a full barrage, twelve glyphs in the air launching Dust attacks of all types. Ingrid and Leon shielded themselves against the blast, staring intently as the debris cleared away. Yuan was still standing, completely unscathed. Around his body was some sort of brownish glow, but it wasn't his aura, which was cyan in color.

"Is that a rune?" Leon said, looking at his partner's left backhand.

"I think so," Ingrid said.

Ivory continued to stand on-guard, ready to defend against another onslaught at a moment's notice, but Yuan didn't attack. It seemed his feet were firmly planted in place, as though he was fighting something that tried to push its way to the surface.

"Are you all right, Yuan?" she asked him.

"Y-Yeah," he grunted. "Just...this...power..."

Penny stood up, her fists clenched, weapons systems online and primed. Her worst fear was about to come true, that her student would be overcome by that dark power which now inhabited him. Qrow and Yang were also ready to move, but their fears were unfounded. Yuan fell to the ground, his aura and the brownish glow breaking as he landed on all fours, panting and sweating. Nora was already by his side along with Ingrid.

"Are you okay?" Ingrid asked him.

"You're not hurt, are you?" Nora said.

"N-No, mom, I'm fine," he answered. "It's just...every single time I use this power, it drains everything out of me. It's like...it's like going on the kind of overdrive that tears apart your insides if you keep it up for longer than ten seconds."

"Okay, you need to stop doing that from now on. I'm not gonna let you keep this up if that power is gonna kill you."

"Mom, I'm fine. I just...need to adjust to it, that's all."

"Is everything all right?" Winter asked, her saber in her hand.

"You guys don't have to have your weapons in your hands," Nora growled. "This is my son we're talking about."

"Yeah, sure," Yang said, "but we've all seen this before."

"And it's _nothing_ like that crap we had to deal with back then." She turned to Ren. "Right?"

He nodded silently. Indeed, this was different from the Wraith they fought against almost twenty years ago, but it was impossible to ignore the chill every time his son used this power.

"I think your mother is right," he said. "You should probably keep that power wrapped up until we can figure out what to do."

"No," Yuan said, standing up. "I know what the problem is."

"Yuan?" Ingrid said.

"I need to be in the Labyrinth."

"The hell are you talking about?" Leon said.

"You were there with me, you and Astor, when we went in to get Ivory out. I used the full extent of this power and I didn't experience anything like this."

"He may have a point," Hillphire said from the doorway. Hollie walked in ahead of him. "I've been doing some work with another expert in the field. Some of you might be familiar with the name Ariadne Jupiter."

"My sister?" Perseus said.

"Yes. She's the leading mind in the growing field of Thaumatology. I had a chat with her the other day and I shared with her my observations about you and your new powers. She posits that the stress you experience may be tied to the fact that the thing inside you is a being of pure magic, one that is not native to our world."

"So, being exposed to Remnant might be toxic to it?" Penny said.

"It's possible."

"I don't get it," Nora said. "Bedivere's Wraith didn't have any problems at all screwing around with our whole planet."

"That's because his Wraith was his own," Hollie said. "Oooh, I get to sound smart for today. The hypothesis is that Bedivere's Wraith was a complete being, since it was tied directly to him. From what you've told us, Yuan, this Sir Elyan isn't actually related to you. He's more of a visitor to our world using you as a vessel."

"Yes, that's actually true," Yuan said. "From my understanding, anyway."

"Similarly," Hillphire continued, "the Labyrinth is an invading force of its own, non-native to Remnant, but it is a facsimile of the world that the Wraiths are actually native to."

"Which is why your Wraith-Knight thing came to you in the Labyrinth in the first place," Hollie said. "That's where its power is most strongly concentrated and thus doesn't wreak havoc on your body." She turned to Hillphire. "Did I get all that right?"

He chuckled. "Sure."

Hollie held up a fist in victory.

"You guys are saying," Nora began, "that my son has to go back into that hellish world?"

"Mom," Yuan said, turning to her. "You and dad and all your friends had your chance to save the world all those years ago. I think it's time you guys trusted us to do the same for our generation."

"But you can't! Grimm and bad people, whatever, but not the Labyrinth!"

"Nora," Ren said, taking her hand gently. "I think he's right. Back then, circumstances placed us directly on the path that we followed up to today. It's no different for him and his friends."

"I believe in destiny," Athena said. "I think we should try a Labyrinth run. Teams LILY and APEX only."

"Whoa, wait a minute," Qrow said. "You kids think you can do that on your own?"

"My cousin has been doing exactly that by herself," Ivory said. "I believe we can accomplish at least _something_ with all eight of us together."

"Lilly going through all that shit is different. She's got her dad's superpowers. You guys?"

"We have..." Leon began, posing next to his partner.

"The Yuan," Perseus finished, posing at Yuan's other side. Echo was suspended from the ceiling, also gesturing to Yuan.

"Oh, brother," Ingrid said, putting a hand to her forehead.

"Liam, do you really think this is a good idea?" Penny said.

"I think screwing around with the Labyrinth in general is a bad idea," Hillphire said. "But I've been in correspondence with Ariadne for some time now. She and Dr. Cherenkov have put together a Labyrinth Task Force funded and supported directly by Jupiter Enterprises. So far, Lilly and Demetri have succeeded in saving countless lives with their work in the Labyrinth."

Athena glanced over at Ivory. For a moment, she thought she had witnessed her flinch at the sound of that boy's name, but maybe she was imagining things.

"As much as I don't want to say this," Hollie began with a sigh, "I think that we should do the same. Or something similar. If people are getting lost in the Labyrinth out in Vacuo and Vale, for sure it's happening in Mistral as well. I can't be the only one who's been noticing the rise in mental health issues, particularly depression."

"So leave that to the doctors," Qrow said. "Not _kids_."

"Dad," Astor said. "We're not really kids anymore."

"Don't give me that. You guys haven't even graduated yet."

"Why are you being so overprotective?" Ivory said.

"I'm not being overprotective!"

"Yeah, you are," Athena said.

Qrow looked around at the youngsters. For a moment, he saw them as children, including Yang, who stood in the back with her arms folded across her chest. He sighed heavily before walking away.

"Forgive me for being a dad, okay?" he said.

"It's not that," Ivory said. "You're acting a lot more overprotective than usual."

"Well, is it my fault for not wanting to lose my kid after I just reconciled with her?"

Ivory was going to retort with words that could only be called unkind, but she refrained from taunting him with his past mistakes and bad decisions. Of course, that didn't stop the tiny bit of resentment that she continued to harbor for him not being in her life for the past seventeen years.

"Hey," Hollie said, taking Qrow by the hand. "They'll be fine."

He looked into his wife's eyes. He deserved all of her hate for what he had done to her all those years ago, but her green eyes showed nothing but compassion and reassurance. She had forgiven him long ago for his infidelity. Perhaps that's what broke his heart more than anything. He didn't deserve her forgiveness, and yet she so freely gave it to him.

"We made it through that shit twenty years ago, didn't we?" she continued. "We can do it again." She turned to Winter. "Do you think you could help me set up something similar to what Vacuo has running?"

"I suppose I could," she said. "The problem is where to start with all of it."

"C'mon, guys," Yang said, gesticulating toward Hillphire. "It's not like we _don't_ have a mad scientist right here with us."

"_Engineer_," Hillphire said with sarcasm dripping. "I'm an _engineer_."

"It was barely twenty years ago you were only a blacksmith," Nora mumbled.

—

"I did not get the impression from our conversation that you already had something built," Winter said, staring at the massive contraption at the very back of Hillphire's personal Forge, the only area in the entire Hillphire Innovations complex that was his and his alone.

"I had been working on this with Ariadne for a month now," Hillphire said. "Well, coordinating with her and Dr. Cherenkov, of course. It's quite rugged compared to the sleek one they have set up beneath Shade Academy, but they had years to build theirs. I had to allocate a large portion of the company's resources and manpower to build this thing in such a short time."

"So," Yang said, looking down at the enormous machine layout, "this is supposed to open up a rift?"

"Not quite," Xanthus said, pushing up his glasses. "It merely destabilizes space-time in order for someone like Yuan to cross between this world and the Labyrinth much more easily. Of course, standing in the middle of destabilized space-time for too long might draw you into the Labyrinth eventually, just as has happened to people in the past."

"How the hell do you know all that?" Athena said to her teammate.

"I read."

Echo chuckled.

"So, I should be able to cross through over there?" Yuan said.

"Well, we have to fire the machines up first," Hillphire said.

"Let's do it, then," Leon said.

Hillphire gave the group an explanation of how the machines worked, how each of the rift generators provided the proper amplitude and how the resonance emitters adjusted to the correct frequency to cause the destabilization of space-time.

"You're saying that the universe itself has a frequency at which it begins to unravel?" Winter said.

"That's what Dr. Cherenkov and his staff have discovered," Hillphire said. "I honestly did not anticipate that they would discover such a method from the work I've done myself on the matter. They took my theories and applied it to practice. Ariadne has done the same with her studies on Thaumatology."

"Sounds like you're quite the celebrity," Yang said.

Hillphire reddened. "I honestly am not so good with this level of popularity. I do a lot better with my machines than with people."

"Oh, don't worry, we know that."

They looked over to the youngsters, who were gearing up to enter the Labyrinth as the machines around them hummed to life.

"They grow up so quickly," Winter said.

"Yeah," Penny said. "I'll be going in there with them, though, so there's no need to worry."

"A team of nine?" Yang said. "That's...odd."

The others turned to her. She was smirking. A heavy sigh fell upon the group.

"I thought it was funny," Astor said, prompting Yang to give him a high five.

"You kids take care while you're in there," Qrow said.

"Don't worry," Athena replied. "We've had experience with this shit. That world can't fuck with us anymore."

"We'll be okay, Grandpa Qrow," Leon said.

Winter and Ivory stood face to face before giving each other a salute.

"You know I'm proud of you, don't you?" Winter said.

"Yes, mother," Ivory said. "Worry not. I will make sure to bring every single one of my team home. Such is the duty of a leader, is it not?"

"You get one little win at the tournament and all of a sudden you're bossing us all around, huh?" Athena said.

"Only if you will follow me."

Ivory walked past her toward the rift. Athena let out a small chuckle before gesturing to her team, who followed.

"Okay," Penny said, joining the youngsters. "We might have two teams here, but we'll all be working together."

"As always," Leon said.

"I have an extra communication set in case we get separated," Xanthus said, entering a few commands on his armband keyboard. "There. Everything is calibrated."

"Testing," Hillphire's voice came in through the team's headsets. "Do you all read me?"

"I hear you, Liam," Penny said.

The others gave thumbs up signals.

"Good," Hillphire said. "According to Ariadne, these devices should enable us to communicate between the worlds, but the further down in layers you descend, the greater the temporal incongruence, and thus the greater the difficulty in communication."

"And these red rubies?" Ingrid said, playing with the golf ball-sized gemstone in her hand. "Wait, is this a rune?"

"Yes. She and Lilly have been working on this for some time. It should help to anchor your existences as you travel through the Labyrinth and prevent the environment from corrupting you."

"That's comforting," Leon said. "I think."

"Okay," Ivory said. "Yuan, proceed when you're ready."

Yuan led the group of nine to the center of the Rift Generator formation. As he looked around, he could not deny the resemblance between the arrangement of structures and the runes that Lilly used.

"It's like we're standing in a giant rune circle," Ingrid mumbled.

"You noticed, too?" Yuan said.

"I'm just hoping we don't end up separated like the first time we experienced the Labyrinth," Athena said.

Echo took her by the hand, looking up into her midnight blue eyes. "As long as I have you by my side," she said.

Athena gave her a smile. "Okay," she said, addressing the group, "let's go!"

Those in the control center watched as the nine vanished from sight.

"Unfortunately," Hillphire began, "my Labyrinth Navigator is not as advanced as the one Ariadne has access to. They'll have to plot their own course in there."

"You mean they're on their own?" Nora said.

"No, they can communicate with us just fine. But they'll be the ones to decide where they're going."

"Okay, so," Astor said, yawning. "I guess I'm gonna go to the mall."

"You should go to school," Qrow said.

"And do what? You know my team left for Menagerie, don't you?"

"You should still attend your classes. Unless you wanna end up dumb."

"C'mon, dad."

"You know what, I'll go with you. Let's do some combat training."

"Ugh. Your 'training' is just me running laps all day while you drink your ass off."

"Exactly." He threw his arm over his son's shoulder. "Now, let's go. Your mom's gonna be pissed if I don't push you to attend classes and then you fail. That _ain't _gonna be my fault, okay?"

"We're staying here," Ren said. "I don't think I can pry Nora away from this place. And besides, we can provide backup in case anything goes wrong."

"Don't jinx it!" Nora yelled.

"I'll stay with them," Yang said. "Mom should be coming here soon with the rest of the team, too. You two have fun!"

Astor sighed all the way to the door.

—

The group of nine stared at the completely empty version of their world. Yuan had succeeded in crossing them over to the Labyrinth's First Layer. It was an exact replica of reality with the only exceptions being that it was devoid of any life and everything was awash in an ever-so-slight shade of blue-gray.

"You did it," Leon said to Yuan.

"I can hardly believe it myself," he said.

"My scanner isn't picking up anything hostile," Xanthus said. "Penny-senpai, are you getting any readings around us?"

She shook her head. "This _is_ the First Layer, after all. I'd be more worried if we did encounter monsters here."

"Where should we start?" Ingrid said.

"What do you think?" Ivory asked Athena, who was looking around.

"Let's get out of the Forge first," she said. "It would help if we had a good view of our surroundings."

"Agreed."

Once they were out in the city, Ingrid and Echo climbed to the highest points they could in order to get a better view.

"Hey," Ingrid said into her microphone. "Are you seeing that, too?"

"Out by the hospital over there?" Echo replied.

"Yeah."

"I thought my eyes were messing with me, but I guess it's a thing."

"Let's go check it out."

The two scouts dropped back down to the team to report.

"I think it's worth an investigation," Ivory said. "This may be one of those personal Labyrinths that Lilly has been going into."

"We'll take point, then," Athena said, glancing at her teammates, who nodded before taking up formation with Perseus at the very front alongside his leader.

As they neared the visual distortion ahead of them, their world began to shift.

"Stay near me," Yuan said. Both teams obliged. "This may be the darker Labyrinth."

"You're right," Penny said, her scanners going haywire. "Hang on, I'm rereading the debriefs. Okay, according to what Ariadne has discovered over the months, we should be descending into the Second Layer of the Labyrinth right now, but as long as we stay close to Yuan, we shouldn't get separated. Also, if these rune stones do what they're designed to do, there shouldn't be any problems even if we get too distant from each other."

"These readings," Xanthus said, looking at his armband monitor. "This must be the space-time distortion Ariadne talked about."

"Yes. It seems the distortions themselves are centered around that hospital, from which it all spills over to the surrounding space."

"And that's why we descended into the Second Layer?" Leon said, squinting into the fog.

"Yes," Xanthus said. "I'm also picking up a lot of readings in the vicinity."

"Stay on guard, everyone," Ivory said, holding Elfenbein at the ready.

They proceeded toward the hospital, evading the gruesomely twisted shadows that lurked around every corner. From previous experiences some of the team members had, they all understood that engaging one would only result in more converging on their location. Stealth was important in this world, even in the foggy Second Layer.

"We should be descending into the Third Layer soon," Penny said. "The density of Corrupted increases the further down we go, so keep your eyes peeled."

"Also," Xanthus began, "the personal Labyrinth itself may be even stranger than the macabre Third Layer."

"Stranger?" Leon said. "As in, how?"

"Uh, according to Ariadne's reports, Lilly mentioned something about...walking through a painting. Or...a cartoon."

The group gave him incredulous looks.

"I'm just regurgitating information," he said as he pushed up his glasses.

"Okay, then," Athena said. "Let's go see what it feels like to be in a cartoon."

"This already feels like a videogame," Ingrid said, readying Shadow Blitz for action.

In no time, the group descended into the Third Layer. The fog gave way to pitch darkness, accompanied by a dark crimson sky which provided no light for them. The flashlights they did possess shone no further than fifty feet.

"This again," Athena said, shutting off her light. "We're wasting batteries with these lights, but fuck I can't see shit out here."

"Let's see if this helps," Ivory said, projecting a glyph, which created a fireball to float over the team as a makeshift lantern.

"I didn't know you could do that with Dust," Ingrid said.

"It's one of the things I learned to develop my Semblance for. Not everything needs to be combat related, you know."

Using Ivory's light as their guide, the team continued to advance through the darkness, but without the ability to see anything past fifteen yards, they came upon a group of Corrupted without any warning. One of the monsters began wailing before attacking, accompanied by more than a dozen more equally grotesque creatures, each of which submitted their own unique cries and screams into the mix.

"These things sound too human," Ingrid said, stabbing her double-ended spear into one of the Corrupted, which seemed to cry as it curled up on the ground, clutching its fatal wound. "Ugh, I miss fighting Grimm already."

"God, this is so disturbing," Leon said, pressing back up against his childhood friend. "Oh, hey, kitty kat."

She sighed heavily. "Really? Even in the middle of all this?"

"Look, I'm just trying to cope with what we're seeing here."

"Fine. If you need to lie in my lap just to stay sane, whatever."

"Wait," he said, turning around quickly. "D-Do you really mean that?"

"Ugh," she grunted before pushing him away.

"Hey! C'mon! Don't leave me hanging!"

"Is it just me," Perseus said as he stood back to back with Xanthus, "or does it seem like these things are in pain?"

"It may just be our imagination," Xanthus said, activating the Sword of Heaven and preparing to freeze his opponents with Ice Dust. "But then again, these are not our usual enemy."

"You know, I've always wondered about that. What if Grimm feel pain and stuff? I mean, the older ones are at least smart enough not to attack what's clearly a heavily fortified city. What if they do have some level of intelligence?"

"Who's to say, really? Perhaps they do have intelligence, but considering it is impossible to research them further, we have to work on observations alone. I personally do not allow myself to think of them as sentient. That may cause me to hesitate one day and commit a fatal error."

"You have a point."

"Regroup!" Penny yelled to the teams as the number of Corrupted began to swell to an unmanageable size. The horde was endless, putting to shame the swarms of Grimm back in the real world. "We need to hold the gate over here and use it as a bottleneck!"

Yuan looked around as his friends gathered together. None of them could see further than fifty feet, but he was able to sense every single one of these things, most likely a result of the Wraith-Knight which lay dormant within him. From what he could tell, there were thousands of them, far too many for the nine of them to handle, even with Penny's unrivaled physical prowess.

"Yuan!" Ingrid yelled. "What are you still doing out there?"

It was now or never. The reason they ventured into the Labyrinth in the first place was to figure out if Yuan's new power could manifest here without threatening to rend his flesh from his bones. Just like before, he was willing to risk it all for them.

"Sir Elyan," he mumbled. "If you can hear me, I beg of you, lend me your strength."

He closed his eyes, unbothered by the numerous Corrupted circling him. An intense power pulsed from within, sending out a shockwave that shook the ground beneath. His clothing billowed with a wind that manifested from nowhere.

Penny watched her student closely as her scanners began to go haywire. It was about to happen again, the unleashing of that ancient being of magic which had been their enemy twenty years ago. To think that it would now be their ally made her skin crawl.

With a final burst of power, Yuan looked up at his enemies. His eyes were no longer jade, overtaken by that flaming golden halo which emerged from his pupils outward. His clothes had also changed color, shifting to a black with cyan detailing.

"Whoa!" Leon yelled as their teammate's power manifested fully on the outside in the form of a mist of darkness accompanied with intermittent flashes of cyan lightning.

"Holy shit!" Perseus said as he raised his shield to protect his team from the debris tossed about by the windstorm.

"_Lass die Dunkelheit mein Schwert sein_," Yuan chanted. "_Und lass meinen Körper das Schild sein, das jeden hinter mir schützt._"

Both of his hands glowed with bright light, brown on the back of his left fist and blue on the right.

"Runes!" Leon said.

"Yes, that's what they are," Ivory said.

"Earth Rune," Yuan began, holding up his left hand, "bestow upon my allies your protection. _Gehärtete Verteidigung_. And grant them your strength. _Stahlknöchel_."

The entire group of nine were bathed in a soft, brown glow, empowering them physically.

"This is just like what Lilly did," Perseus said. "Whatever this is, it makes your body tougher and stronger."

"So, he just buffed us?" Echo said.

"That's a videogame reference, isn't it?" Ivory said.

"What, you too cool for videogames?" Athena said.

"Too _busy_."

"Let's do this!" Leon said, whirling Vermillion Crescent around before teleporting with his Semblance into the midst of a group of Corrupted.

The magical enhancements Yuan bestowed upon the group proved to be the one thing necessary to turn the tide of battle. He personally led the team of nine as they cut, stabbed, and smashed their way through the massive swarms of Corrupted, mercilessly carving a path of devastation in their wake. Their objective had since shifted from merely cutting losses to outright extermination of their enemies.

"Water Rune!" Yuan yelled, holding out his right hand. "_Regen der Restaurierung_!"

The entire group was bathed in blue light as tiny droplets of magic fell upon them, healing them of all wounds and granting a moderate morale boost.

"This is awesome!" Leon yelled, more empowered than ever.

"Yeah," Ingrid said. "It feels like we really can win against this horde."

"Press on the advantage!" Athena cried, leading the charge forward, followed closely by her team and Team LILY as well.

The battle only ended when the remaining Corrupted decided to flee into the darkness. Yuan could feel their presences growing further and further away until they were undetectable.

"I'm not picking them up anymore," Penny said.

"Neither am I," Xanthus said, looking at his monitors. "I think we're in the clear."

"Dude," Leon said, walking up to his partner and giving him a high five. "That was friggin' awesome."

"What a rush," Athena said. "We need to do that more often."

"I feel like I can keep fighting, to be honest," Ingrid said, switching feet as she hopped up and down. "Looks like Echo's not done either."

They all looked up to their archer, who was perched on top of a non-functioning streetlight. Just then, the brownish glows around their bodies broke away almost like glass.

"Sorry," Yuan said. "I think that's the end of the spell."

"Can you recast?" Perseus asked.

"I should be able to."

"Not yet," Ivory said. "Let's save your strength for when we really need it again."

"Yes, ma'am."

Meanwhile, Penny found herself conflicted. Their hypothesis had been correct. Yuan's newfound power was perfectly stable here in the Labyrinth, which turned out to be serendipitous in this situation, but she had already experienced enough even in her short life to keep from being too optimistic. She needed to keep an eye on him and be prepared for the worst in case history decided to repeat itself as it often does.

_I hope we're not making a mistake relying on something like this._


	8. Chapter VIII

CHAPTER VIII

_Beyond the Looking Glass_

Demetri fell to his knees as he and the remainder of his group escaped from the crumbling Labyrinth.

"Damn it!" he yelled, beating the ground repeatedly with his fist. "I swore! I swore an oath not to let anything happen to her!"

"Hey," Jaune said, squatting beside him. "Pull yourself together. It's not over yet."

"But, Lilly—"

"Is strong enough to take care of herself. She used to do this thing solo, remember?"

"We have to trust that she can stay alive," Ruby said. "But we have to get out of here. Without her anchoring us in a stable reality, we're screwed."

"I guess we'll find out if Ariadne's rune gems work or not."

"Ugh, not funny."

"Wasn't meant to be a joke."

"Status report!" Ariadne's voice crackled in their earpieces.

"The Labyrinth has collapsed," Ruby said. "But..."

"I'm only getting a read on three of you. Where is Lilly?"

"Lilly's..." Demetri said with a sob. "She's..."

"She was separated from us during the collapse," Jaune said. "From what we saw, she, uh, entered a mirror, or something like that. I'm not really sure how anything works in this place, but that's what I saw."

"Damn it," Ariadne said. "Okay, now, you three. Are you experiencing anything weird?"

"You mean normal weird," Ruby began, "or _weird_ weird?"

"No one's fading in and out of existence? No odd gravitational anomalies?"

"No, we're all still here."

"Good. The space-time anchors must be working."

"Is that what you're calling these rubies with runes etched inside?" Jaune said, holding the gemstone in what little light he could find.

"Yes. Anyway, return to Shade Academy as soon as you possibly can."

"What about Lilly?" Demetri said, managing to rise to his feet.

"We'll arrange a search and rescue the moment we have the available resources. You are currently in no condition to continue, not with the limited supplies we sent you with and certainly not without at least having an idea of where to start searching."

"C'mon, Demetri," Jaune said. "Ariadne's right. We have to regroup. You're no good to Lilly if you're dead."

"You're right," he said, wiping away tears. "Let's return to base for now. We'll find her when we're ready. Preferably within twenty-four hours."

"Don't you worry about her," Ruby said. "I was partners with her mom back when I was at Beacon Academy, so I know how tough the Schnees can be. There's no way Lilly's gonna go down that easily. Especially not with all the experience she's got under her belt now."

Demetri nodded, leading the way through the streets back toward Shade Academy. As they marched, they intermittently shifted between the Labyrinth's Second and Third Layers, forcing them to move around stealthily at times while granting them some reprieve at others.

"If only the stupid shifts didn't happen so suddenly," Ruby sighed.

"Yeah, a little warning would be nice," Jaune said. "Like, maybe a radio with static or something."

"That would only make me even more tense!"

Demetri stopped the group and they all took cover behind a brick wall.

"What do you see?" Ruby whispered.

The youngest of the group continued to spy on the shadowy figures through the dense fog. He couldn't make out exactly what they were, but he was certain that they weren't Corrupted. At least, not any he and Lilly had ever encountered. These would be the first that could hold conversations.

"Is that...talking?" Jaune said.

"Corrupted shouldn't be capable of speech," Demetri said. "Let's try and get a closer look."

As they neared the shadows, darting from cover to cover, the conversations became clearer.

"So, this is the result of all your hard work, is it, Dr. Watts?"

"Indeed. The knowledge your people have provided has proven to be invaluable in the fields of biology, physics, and chemistry, but it's all of that 'forbidden knowledge' that has been most, shall we say, exquisite."

"I suppose you and I aren't all that different, then. I'm starting to understand why Azazel believed that you and I would pair up well. After all, we both have a seemingly unquenchable desire to know all there is to know, even that which the gods themselves have deemed forbidden."

"I do have to wonder, Ashtaroth. Is there a reason why the one known as the Horseman of War would be so interested in my research—and by extension, in any research at all?"

"I suppose it sounds counterintuitive, doesn't it? However, the reasoning is quite simple if you think about it enough. After all, when do the greatest leaps in technological advancement occur?"

"Hmm. You do have a point. Even now, as the situation between the five kingdoms intensifies, all sorts of technological advancements are being made. There's robotics in both Atlas and Mistral, Labyrinth-related technologies right here in Vacuo, and even this, what we have right in front of us."

"Yes, it is quite impressive, Dr. Watts. You managed to create the first artificial life-form of its kind. The previous iteration was quite the spectacular failure, however. Moloch paid for that one with his very flesh."

"That was quite unfortunate. He is all right, though, is he not?"

"Don't underestimate the constitution of our kind. We aren't constructed in the same fashion as you humans."

"Of course. Oh, and when you do see him, please let him know that I should have a new vessel ready for him quite soon. One that doesn't fall apart in the midst of battle, of course. I do regret to admit that there's nothing I can do about the voraciousness of the aspect he has taken upon himself."

"He's the weak fool who cannot control a simple sin. Many of the others have absorbed sins of their own without giving into lust or greed or what have you."

"Are you curious, by the way? As to how I've progressed this far?"

"You mean to say that this isn't perfected yet?"

"Not quite yet. There's still some more fine tuning I need to do with the DNA to better accommodate for the fusion of three beings in a single vessel, but I must say, I did not quite expect the missing link to be human flesh."

"So, you combined Grimm flesh with human flesh and stitched the two halves together using the blood of a Lesser Daemon?"

"I haven't even explained it yet. How did you know that?"

"I am a researcher myself, albeit with advantages over your limited mortal senses. I can see right down into this being's molecular structure. You infused these three human males with Grimm DNA, forcing them to undergo slow mutation until reaching this finished product, and then introducing the essence of a Lesser Daemon to strengthen the bond between human and Grimm, while also granting it the strength of all three."

"Precisely. However, I should add a correction to that. It's the human soul that actually binds everything together. The blood of a Lesser Daemon enslaves the human soul to prevent it from enacting its own will over the body."

"So it can remain your servant."

"Or yours, of course."

"Ingenious. I am impressed, Dr. Watts."

"I offer my humble thanks, Lord Ashtaroth."

"Now, should we run a small field test? I believe there are three rats nearby, all of them perfect matches for your three experiments."

Ruby gasped, hiding herself fully behind the wall.

"Crap," Jaune said. "Pretty sure they know we're here."

Without a word, Demetri emerged into the street, standing face to face with the five shadows.

"This is no good," Ashtaroth said. "We can't record the results properly with all this fog. Let's bring it back up closer to the real world."

The fog dissipated, giving way to the clear, but empty First Layer of the Labyrinth.

"Great, what now?" Jaune said, standing with Ruby and Demetri.

"Should we make a break for it?" Ruby said.

"I dunno. Demetri?"

When he didn't answer, the two looked over at him. His face was painted with a mixture of disbelief and pain. They looked back over to the two men standing with the three Grimm-Human Hybrids.

"Something tells me he knows them," Jaune said.

It was true. Demetri couldn't take his eyes off of the three test subjects down the street. After all, there was no way he would forget the faces of his teammates, the ones with whom he had spent their first year at Beacon Academy. But the teammates he knew were long gone. Paolo's eyes were dead. Theo was unresponsive. Raiden looked more like a zombie than human.

"Okay," Dr. Watts began. "Paolo, you're up. Let's see if you've still got the skills you've learned at Beacon Academy over the past year."

The grotesquely large Paolo began marching toward them. Ruby and Jaune glanced at their young companion before attacking, but the anatomically modified Paolo was much too powerful. He deflected—with his bare skin—Ruby's scythe and Jaune's sword, ignoring them as he continued to march steadily at Demetri, the earth thudding with each footstep.

"Demetri!" Jaune yelled. "Snap out of it!"

The youngster blinked several times before coming back to his senses, managing to put up a small fight, but the massive Paolo was unfazed by his punches, delivering a solid hit to Demetri's gut hard enough to completely shatter his aura. He lurched forward, coughing up blood before Paolo sent him flying into a wall with another powerful punch.

"Demetri!" Ruby yelled. She was going to help their young companion when heavy thudding came from behind. Theo and Raiden were also marching at her and her husband, their faces devoid of any expression. They were no different from Atlas's android armies in their machine-like obedience to their masters and the fearlessness of their actions.

"Ruby, help Demetri," Jaune said. "I'll take care of these two."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I can take a beating better than most."

"Please don't get hurt!"

Ruby activated her Semblance, rocketing to Demetri's side and shouldering him up.

"C'mon!" she yelled. "He's still coming!"

He coughed out more blood, seeing double as the malformed Paolo kept coming at him.

"This...this is my fight," he said, pushing her aside.

"Don't be stupid! We're a team, not—"

She was cut short with a powerful punch to the jaw, which sent her flying into a tree, breaking it in half. The punch was hard enough to injure her through her still-intact aura. She looked up to see Demetri exchanging blows with Paolo, but it was no use. The Grimm-human hybrid was much too powerful physically and Demetri went down in less than a minute.

She looked over to her husband, who was also struggling against the two attackers. His shield was starting to deform with the intensely powerful strikes from their fists. She thought hard about how she could help in the middle of all this when she remembered the conversation those two were having.

_They're part Grimm! _"You leave us alone!" Ruby yelled before unleashing the power of her silver eyes, which was enough to blind even the two observing the fight. The rays of silver-gray light touched the three malformed hybrid Grimm, sending them to their knees. It wasn't nearly enough to put them down for good, but her attack bought the time she desperately needed to get her team out of danger.

Though her aura was severely depleted, she activated her Semblance, darting to her husband with Demetri in tow. The combined weight of all three of them was nearly too much for her, but she managed to get them out of the line of fire, stopping for a brief rest before another burst as far as she could before her aura finally broke and the trio tumbled all over the earth.

"Ruby!" Jaune yelled, running to his wife and extending his aura to her.

"I'm okay," she coughed. "Where's Demetri?"

They looked over to their companion, who was unconscious on the ground.

"I'll carry him," Jaune said as Ruby's aura replenished. "You keep us safe."

"Okay, but where do we even go?"

"Anywhere but here."

"Wait, when did we descend into the Second Layer again?"

"I guess that means we're far enough away from that guy's magic. He was the one that shifted us to the First Layer, remember?"

As they fled, Ruby held Crescent Rose tightly. That man—or whatever he was—clearly had the power to wipe them off the face of the planet, and yet he was nowhere nearby. From what she could tell, he was not even in pursuit. Only those three massive Grimm-human hybrids' feet stomped the ground now.

_What in the world are we up against?_ she mused, barely keeping it together.

—

Lilly groaned as she regained consciousness. The smell of wet earth and rust wafted over her nose. She looked around as she continued to lie still, scanning her environment. The last thing she remembered was the Labyrinth. If she was still there, she needed to be on high alert. With her equilibrium finally restored, she sat up, glancing around. She was in the foggy Second Layer of the Labyrinth, but something was off. She was surrounded by Corrupted, none of which attacked her.

She stood up, walking amongst the twisted reflections of human beings. Each one expressed an intense negative emotion, whether sadness, rage, fear, hysteria, anything other than joy or peace, but amid the wailing, the screaming, the borderline-psychotic laughter, each Corrupted appeared to be going about their daily business, boarding buses and trains and even interacting with each other.

_What in the world is going on? _Lilly thought as she gazed around wide-eyed.

She came up to a group, which seemed to be in conversation, though it consisted of a mixture of crying and screaming and pained groans. Another group laughed hysterically, not out of joy, but as a coping mechanism. In the distance was another group of Corrupted, huddling together to hide themselves from the world.

A terrifying realization began to creep up on her, but Lilly chose to push it aside. There was no way that was possible. No way. Not even a glimmer of a chance.

As she explored the foggy streets of this version of Vacuo, she found herself descending into the dark and grim Third Layer of the Labyrinth, where the architecture twisted into grotesque facades of themselves, the internal structures exposed through decaying walls and rusted grating. The Corrupted which inhabited this layer expressed far more intense trauma than those in the previous layer. Some were even involved in self-harm. Others seemed to die and resurrect endlessly. And yet, many more were trapped within torturous machinery.

_What is this? _she asked herself as she wandered around, finding herself shivering from the brutal imagery.

_This is everyone's Labyrinth._

Lilly turned around, but no one was there. The voice was coming from within. "Who are you?"

_The real question, Lilly, is who are _you_?_

"What do you mean by that?"

_Stop playing dumb. You know what I mean. You've always wondered it, silently, to yourself, allowing no one to hear your thoughts. But I've always been there, listening to everything, hearing what you refuse to hear, feeling what you refuse to feel._

Lilly balled her fists, looking down at the ground. No. This was all in her head. No one was actually there. The Labyrinth was messing with her again like it always does.

_I guess it's not wrong to think I'm in your head. After all, where else would I be?_

"Stop it!"

_It's time that you no longer turned away from who you really are, Lilly Schnee. You're the daughter to a dark and ancient legacy._

Lilly put her hands to her head. The images of her failures in the Labyrinth assaulted her senses, but more than that was the rage and hatred that had been building in her heart, a result of constantly witnessing the cruelty that humans could inflict on one another.

She could not recall a single Labyrinth victim who wasn't tormented by fellow humans. Maybe there were a few who endured genuine grief over things outside of their control, but so many suffered at the hands of others. Victims of human trafficking, sexual abuse, domestic abuse—there were too many to count.

These were the burdens Lilly carried on her shoulders, the weight of a world that suffered at its own hands, a self-destructive species that would bring the planet down with it.

At first, Lilly's heart had ached for the victims, but as time went on and as she became more exposed to the perpetrators of these atrocities, her ache transformed into resentment. Resentment gave way to unbridled hatred and rage. She was on the verge of doing irreversible damage in the real world, a repeat of her mistake from summer, having passed eternal judgment on _children_. There were times when she wanted to open up the Rune of Atonement over the entire city of Vacuo. The only thing that had the power to prevent such a genocidal act was the thought of her knight, who was always by her side when she needed him most.

"No," she murmured. "That isn't me..."

"Maybe not yet."

Lilly gasped, falling backward onto the blood-soaked concrete as she looked up at a near-identical doppelganger of herself, a girl with equally long snow-white hair. But instead of her hazels, this girl's eyes glowed with an otherworldly golden shine, her irises appearing to move like a ring of fire which emerged outward from her pupils.

This other self donned the opposite of Lilly's warm, bright colors, clad from head to foot in black. She crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at a terrified Lilly.

"You haven't figured it out yet?" the girl said. "Nah, that stupid act doesn't work with me. I know you know who I am in relation to you. You just won't admit it aloud."

"No, no, no!" Lilly cried, putting her hands to her head to try and block out the thoughts. "That's not true!"

"Your behavior isn't really all that surprising. After all, I am everything that you loathe and dread about yourself."

"Stop it!"

"No. I've grown tired of you shutting me out every time you're about to give in to your true self. It's time you face the mirror."

With a wave of her hand, she summoned a looking glass, which was cracked into seven pieces, placing it before Lilly, who turned away from it. But something compelled her to look, to gaze in horror at distorted reflections of herself, each one displaying some abhorrent behavior. One laughed maniacally while another seethed with anger. Another image showed her pummeling a man to death with her bare hands.

"Please!" Lilly cried. "I would never...!"

"No, you wouldn't. But _I_ would. You know who I am, Lilly."

With a heavy heart, Lilly looked up at her dark doppelganger, fully recognizing her for who she was. "You're...me..." she managed.

Her other self smirked. "If we're to get all technical, yeah. But I figured I'd pick a different name for myself. Lilith seems appropriate, don't you think?"

Lilly shut her eyes, squeezing out tears. This couldn't be the real her, could it? She was _saving_ people. She would never _choose_ to _torture_ someone.

Right?

"How about a stroll through memory lane, huh?" Lilith said, raising her arms and modifying the surrounding Labyrinth by sheer willpower alone.

Lilly gawked at the new Labyrinth, instantly recognizing the imagery. After all, she could never forget home. She looked around as she wandered through the streets of the small city of Oasis at the outskirts of Atlas, the only place in the whole continent of Solitas which never received snow. Even now, the reason for the moderate temperature was a mystery to her.

But the weather wasn't what was on her mind right now. She was right back in class, sitting in her desk beside the window. The teacher had stepped out for a mere moment. The lack of supervision resulted in chaos, typically, but it was only now that she noticed bullying in the back corner of the classroom.

"What?" she gasped. "No, this never happened! Stop showing me these lies!"

"Who's the one actually lying?" Lilith said, slamming her palms on the desk and making Lilly jump. "Tell me, Lilly. Aren't _you_ the one who's always turned a blind eye to this kind of shit? Huh? Although, I guess that's not entirely true. You noticed this, at least for a brief moment, and felt anger, but you never followed through on it, instead pushing your enmity onto _me_."

Lilly buried her head in her hands, trying her best to ignore the slideshow of her past. Slowly, the realization began to set in. These things have always been happening around her, but she could never cope with the idea that humans were so evil to one another. It was easy to save others from Grimm, but when the perpetrators were other humans, it hurt too much.

But she was a different girl now. She wasn't that same, naïve teenager. She had more than a year to fully internalize just how cruel humans could be toward one another. The Grimm were old news. Their darkness was no longer necessary in a world where humans were so self-destructive.

Lilly found her fists balling out of their own accord as she recalled every last victim that she had ever saved—but especially those she had failed to save. Runes began to form on her hands, runes that she did not recognize. One was nearly black in color while the other was a deep, dark shade of crimson.

"That's it," Lilith whispered into her ear. "There's nothing wrong with hating those who are evil. Embrace it, Lilly."

"This is wrong," Lilly mumbled.

"Not at all. The wicked deserve to be punished."

"I don't have that right..."

"Sure you do. Look. The runes have chosen you to be the executor of justice."

"No!" Lilly cried out, swatting her away and facing off with her.

Their environment transformed once more, becoming an amalgamation of imagery that made no sense, where directions were meaningless, colors were swapped, and the flow of time was distorted beyond reason.

"The last time I gave in to this, _you_ took over my body!" Lilly said.

"Well, I mean, yeah," Lilith said. "I am _you_, after all. At least, the part of you who isn't too much of an idealistic coward to know her place in the world."

"Stop! You keep saying all this stuff about you being the other half of me who doesn't give a crap about anything! That's just an excuse!"

Lilith grunted.

"You care as much as I do!"

"You're treadin' on thin ice here, dude."

"You think I don't see through _you_, too, Lilith? You say I'm angry, that I hate everything, but really it's _you_ who's angry!"

"You're goddamned right I'm angry! Look at what the world has come to! This world that our mother shed half of her heart for! And it's heading toward ruin! They can't stop the war that's coming!"

"And you think you can?"

"Because _you_ refuse to do anything about it!"

"I'm doing the best I can!"

"Yeah, right, what, by going through all these Labyrinths pretending to make a fucking difference? Give me a break!"

"It _does_ make a difference!"

Lilith sighed heavily. "I guess there's really no point in this. I know for a fact how stubborn you are. Hell, _I_ have the same problem." She pulled out a sword, one knightly in shape, but blackened in appearance. "There's only one way to get things done around here. And that's with force."

Lilly shifted into high alert. Her doppelganger was about to attack, but her attention moved to Myrtenaster, which felt as though it were pulsating, like it had a heartbeat.

_Huh? _she thought, looking at her mother's weapon. For a moment, it appeared to have flashed into a different form, something that resembled a knightly sword, magnificent in appearance, but just as quickly, it was back to its normal form.

"What's wrong?" Lilith said. "You starting to hallucinate?"

Determination ran through Lilly's veins like fire and she reached for Myrtenaster. A power she had never before felt now began to fill her core.

"So, you agree. This is the only way we can solve this conundrum."

"I haven't given up on you yet, Lilith," Lilly said, gripping Myrtenaster tightly.


	9. Chapter IX

CHAPTER IX

_Broken Mirror_

Lilly squared off with Lilith as their combined Labyrinth finally cemented itself in a surreal appearance, uniting pleasant images of home and school right alongside oppressive features, bars of bone over windows and doors along with fractured streets and blood red skies overhead.

Lilith grinned before she vanished from sight, accompanied by a sonic boom and the ground beneath her feet shattering. Lilly gasped before holding up Myrtenaster, barely blocking the strike from Lilith's blackened sword.

"Not bad!" Lilith said with glee. "Woo! This is great! Don't you agree?"

"What?"

"The rush I'm feeling right now being so damn close to you! Ugh, I can already feel the sunlight on my skin!"

Lilly grunted before pushing away, projecting several runes in the air to counterattack, but each and every magical projectile failed to hit its mark. Lilith was much too talented with her black sword, swatting away fireballs, lightning strikes, and frost like they were tennis balls.

"Yes!" Lilith screamed in ecstasy. "Keep fighting, Lilly! Don't make this _too_ easy now!"

It was Lilly's turn to go on the offensive, projecting a rune behind her that propelled her forward with great force, enough to press Lilith backward with her swing.

"Mom's sword sure is powerful, isn't it?" Lilith said. "Even against Caliburn, it holds its own."

"Caliburn?" Lilly said.

"Yup. That's this baby here." Her face grew grim. "Dad's old sword."

Something burst from the black sword in Lilith's hand, throwing Lilly back with intense pressure. It was like a shockwave with no apparent origin, but Lilly knew for a fact it came from the sword. After all, she could sense a heightened level of enmity radiating from the sword itself.

_What is going on?_ she thought, remaining in a semi-kneeling position as she looked over at a grinning Lilith. _That sword she's wielding. It's...alive._

"Don't tell me a little pressure is enough to put you down," Lilith said.

"Never," Lilly said, rising to her feet.

"Good. You'd be putting mom's old sword to shame if you did."

Lilith moved in, sword in position for an upward stroke, but before she even came close, Lilly found herself surrounded by several runes which gave her no time to react before unleashing a storm of magical attacks on her. Lilith continued rushing in, however, fully anticipating that the attack wouldn't work. She was right; Lilly darted out of the dust cloud, her body surrounded by a sphere of bronze light, which broke as they clashed swords repeatedly.

"You're pretty quick with that Shield Rune!" Lilith said, mania painted all over her face.

"Why do we have to do this?" Lilly cried.

"Because it's the natural order of things! You reject me, and I wish to assert myself! Don't you see what this is? Your two halves are literally battling for dominance right now!"

Lilly gasped as something approached from behind. She had no time to respond to a second opponent, but in a flash, something else intercepted the new attacker.

"Whoa!" Lilith yelled. "This is awesome!"

Lilly managed to push Lilith away, taking a quick glance at another battle occurring nearby. The clanging of swords was even faster than what she and Lilith had just been engaged in. And then, she realized what she was looking at. Her knight had emerged once more to protect her, fighting against a near-identical knight, but black in color.

"You've got your knight," Lilith began, "I've got mine."

Lilly looked over at her doppelganger in shock.

"I told you. You and I are the same person. Just different aspects. Did you think I was telling you those things just to fuck with you?"

She gritted her teeth before dashing forward to attack, but another intangible force launched her backward again. She coughed before turning to her opponent. She was pointing that blackened Caliburn out toward her.

"Hmm," Lilith mumbled. "Hey, let's turn up the fire a bit. Or, well, not fire, but..." She pointed Caliburn skyward, opening a swarm of runes in the air, each one of them black in color with barely visible, dark violet wisps of light wafting away from them. "You know what these are, don't you, Lilly?"

Lilly gritted her teeth. Those were Darkness Runes. Each one had the power to hurl a curse at her. Those curses could be anything, from things as mundane as physical illnesses to as fantastical as generational doom.

"Careful not to let any of them touch you!" Lilith said before unleashing all of the Darkness Runes in rapid succession.

Lilly darted to the side to dodge the first volley, but the rest were still firing. She summoned an Earth Rune to increase her physical strength and agility as she ran, the strengthening spells taking effect just in time for her to dash into an alleyway. She stooped over to try and catch her breath, but the curses were still flying at her, curving around the corner to pursue.

She ran through the alleyway, which twisted in ways that were not native to the real world, but perfectly fine in this Labyrinth born of the hearts of both herself and her counterpart. Saving her from the pursuing curses was her knight, who leaped in from above. Surprising even her, it held out a hand, summoning a rune that shone with a brilliant white light. The curses instantly vanished, nullified by whatever spell that was just now.

"W-What was that?" Lilly said, looking up at her knight, who quickly turned around and leapt over her head to engage that black knight once more, saving her from its sword. She hadn't even noticed that it had been nearing her.

"Heads up, me!" Lilith yelled as she dove down from the sky, black Caliburn meeting with Myrtenaster in an explosion of chaotic magical energy.

Lilly glanced at the hilt of her mother's sword. _How in the world are you able to withstand these attacks? _she thought. Just then, the sword began to pulse in her hand.

"Hmm?" Lilith mumbled.

Myrtenaster pulsed one more time before unleashing a shockwave that forced Lilith away.

"Hah! So _you_ have it!"

"Huh?" Lilly said.

"I've been looking for that thing. I guess it makes sense it would pick you."

Lilly held up Myrtenaster, but what she held in her hands was no longer her mother's weapon. It had once again transformed into that same knightly sword from before, that beautiful work of craftsmanship complete with gold wash over the steel hilt and gemstones embedded into the metal.

She looked over to Lilith, whose sword was nearly identical, though hers had a black blade in place of the mirror-polished one in Lilly's hand. The hilt was also black in color, the elegantly cut gemstones replaced with rough-cut crimson and dark violet stones that radiated power.

"Wow," Lilith said. "This is, I mean, all of this, it's...awesome."

"What are you talking about?" Lilly said.

"Don't you get it? You and I are two halves of the same person. One of us walks in light while the other lives in darkness. And that's how it's always been. I guess it's no surprise that Caliburn would choose the both of us as its bearer. Or rather, as the bearers of both its halves. Like us, Caliburn is also split in two, one half dispensing absolute justice while the other bestows perfect mercy."

Lilly looked at the majestic Caliburn in her hand.

"Did you know that our dad once wielded this sword?"

"Our...father?"

Lilith nodded. "And just like us, he, too, struggled between two halves of himself. Unfortunately, the struggle ended up breaking him. But I won't let that happen to us. I'm gonna put you to sleep so I can do what you can't—what you _refuse_ to do. I mean, hell, it's your fault Perseus has to live with that damn curse on his left hand."

The Rune of Atonement. How could Lilly forget that horrible thing?

"You won't have to worry about a thing anymore, Lilly. I'll take the driver's seat from now on. You can leave it all to me."

"I won't let you take over."

"Can you stop me?"

"_Gehärtete Verteidigung_! _Stahlknöchel_!"

"Very cute, but very elementary. Are those the only Earth Rune spells you know?"

"Huh?"

"I figured. Your use of runes has been very intuitive so far and quite impressive for someone as untrained as you, but think about it. Why do you think that is so? Why do you think you're so skilled despite nobody teaching you these things?"

Lilly paled as the realization dawned on her.

"That's right," Lilith said as her eyes radiated that brilliant golden shine once more. "It's because of me. You might be good," she said as she raised her sword in the air to project a multitude of runes of different varieties, "but I'm better. After all, you're us in the real world. I am us in the World of Shadow!"

Lilith unleashed a massive storm of every possible elemental attack. The barrage Ivory had dealt during the Vytal Festival Tournament paled in comparison. Fortunately, Lilly was able to dodge most of the attacks. Her Earth Rune defensive bolstering spell also gave her the ability to withstand the ones that connected with her, though the attacks were too numerous and the shield around her body was completely shattered.

"Not bad," Lilith said. "But you won't be able to keep this up forever. After all, you are merely borrowing your power. I am a being of magic itself!" She held up her sword, but this time no runes appeared. The sword itself began to pulse, emitting a fiery dark purple aura with red lightning accompanying it.

Lilly stared in awe. _What in the world is that?_ She held up her own sword, which also began to pulse, as if matching Lilith's sword in strength and determination. _Caliburn?_

"Now, be a good little girl and submit to me!" Lilith said before swinging her sword. "_Darkness Flame_!"

"Caliburn!" Lilly yelled as she held her sword up high. "Lend me your aid! _Sacred Flame_!"

Between them met two pillars of fire, one born of pure darkness and the other composed of pure, golden light. The clash produced a conflagration of untold proportions, spreading across the land and incinerating everything in its path, though because this was the Labyrinth, the landscape reconstructed itself.

"Amazing," Lilith said. "So, this is what happens when Caliburn and Caliburn clash." She scratched her head. "Man, we're gonna have to give them nicknames so it doesn't get confusing."

"Lilith," Lilly began, readying herself for combat. "I won't let you have your way with the world."

"Don't be like that. All I want is to sit in the driver's seat for once instead of being stuck in this gloomy world forever."

"And allow you to run amok? Never."

"How rude! I just want to have some fun for once! Maybe peel someone's skin off without killing them, or maybe see if I can extract every single bone without them bleeding to death. That would be a thrill, wouldn't it?"

Lilly's grip on Caliburn tightened.

"Good. Now we can have a real battle. Let's see which is superior, the girl who was pampered all her life and lived in the dawn light or the one who has been through _hell itself_!"

Lilith was the one to commence the duel, dashing at Lilly with so much force as to pulverize the concrete beneath her feet. She brought the dark half of Caliburn up high before swinging downward as hard as she could to meet with Lilly's light half of the sword. The clash between the two unleashed an explosion so powerful as to instantly form a crater beneath Lilly's feet. She counterattacked, swinging hard enough to send Lilith flying back. Soon, both were dashing at one another, exchanging blows at speeds no human eye could possibly see.

The battle between Lilly and Lilith was epic in scale. No other word could possibly describe the cataclysm which accompanied each meeting of their swords, those two swords that were identical and yet could not be any more opposite from one another. Mirror-polished steel met with blackened metal, sending shockwaves that crushed the ground beneath whilst unleashing strikes of black lightning and gusts of black flame.

Lilly gasped as she lost her footing, her heel sinking into a pothole.

"I've got you now!" Lilith screamed, swinging her dark Caliburn.

Lilly managed to deflect the strike, vaulting backwards and righting herself before defending against Lilith's incessant offensive. If there was one thing Lilith got right, it was that her drive to battle was much greater than Lilly's. The latter's nature was much too gentle, even if she had recently been nurturing a side of her that brought her shame and fear.

"You're barely even fighting!" Lilith yelled, continuing to exchange blows with Lilly. "You call yourself a hero when you can't even stand up for yourself! Don't make me laugh!"

Lilly gritted her teeth.

"How you even manage to save people from their own hells is astounding! Oh, right, because the Corrupted you've been killing have been easy to kill, right? Nothing more than monsters? Well, I should probably give you the full disclosure. The Corrupted are not mindless monsters. They are nothing like the Grimm you've fought so many times."

Lilly gasped.

"That's right. Those Corrupted are none other than real people, trapped in this world to repeat their worst fears and guilt and regret and secret desires and _everything_ for all eternity!"

"You're lying!"

"Why do you think they all look the way they do? 'Corruption' is a perfect word to describe them, each one so tortured and damned, each of them in a way that is perfectly tailored to their own inner darkness that has completely taken them over."

Lilly faltered in her resolve, her grip on Caliburn slackening.

"Yeah, that's right. You've been killing people all this time, Lilly. I mean, there's no problem with that. It's what happens in war. People die. And it's totally okay since they were all trying to kill you—"

"No, it's not okay!"

"Huh?"

"That means...that means...I've been...no, no, no...I could have saved them!"

"Have you not been listening to a word I've said? Each one of those things is literally _corrupted_. They're beyond saving."

"No one is beyond salvation!"

"Wow. Where have I heard that before?"

"Every single person can be saved!"

"It's weird how you can be so similar—no, you're _exactly the same_."

"What?"

"You've never met him, and yet you are no different from our father, that bastard who abandoned us."

"M-My...father?"

Lilith sighed. "That fool was so damn idealistic that he completely abandoned his other half, allowing him to fester and take on himself all of his corruption while the other half basked in the sunlight all his life."

"You know our father?" Lilly said, her voice quavering.

"No. Fortunately. I don't think I would be able to stand being in the presence of such an idealistic idiot without throwing up in my mouth."

"Why would you talk about our father that way?"

"Because he abandoned us!" Lilith screamed. "He abandoned us! He abandoned our mother!"

Lilly's heart skipped a beat.

"And you know this. You've always known this. You just never admitted it to yourself, not out loud. No, that's _my_ job."

Lilly looked at the ground. _No, no, no, that can't be. He...he loved us, didn't he?_

Lilith shrugged. "Maybe. Doubtful, though. I guess he loved mom, since he did make a baby with her, but I guess he didn't love her enough if he could just abandon her like that."

"He didn't abandon us!"

"How else do you explain his complete absence, huh? There aren't even any pictures of him in the house. Mom has never said a word about him. You wanna know why? It's because he isn't the kind of man worth remembering. Typical deadbeat dad."

"Stop it!"

"We agree. Enough talking. Let's settle this the old fashioned way: through violence!"

Lilith's assault was relentless, driving Lilly back. Though the latter was able to regain her footing, Lilith would always find a weakness and exploit it without mercy. This was the difference between the two halves of the same person. Both had the power necessary to gain the upper hand, but only one had the will to do whatever it took.

_Maybe she's right. Maybe I am too weak to save anyone. If...if all I've been doing is killing innocent people, then maybe..._

"Quit being so distracted!" Lilith said before landing a powerful punch to Lilly's face, sending her reeling.

As always, though, Lilly was able to regain her composure, bringing Caliburn back up to continue the battle, even if it was purely defensive at this point. It wasn't that she didn't have the power. She simply had no desire to use it.

_There's nothing wrong with having power, Lilly._

_M...Mom?_

_There is never anything wrong with power alone. It's how you use it that matters._

It wasn't her mother's voice she was hearing. This was a recollection of a memory from long ago.

_Power can be a useful thing, so long as you never let it corrupt you. If you have power, you can use it to save those who need saving. If you ever find yourself in that position, Lilly, don't let it go to waste. Exercise what little power you might have and do it to change the world._

"Change...the world..." she mumbled.

"Huh?" Lilith said. "Oh, yeah, that little speech. You're damn right I'm gonna change the fucking world. It's gonna be one where the people we care about are completely safe."

"And what about everyone else?"

"Who?"

"The rest of the world!"

"Like I said, who?"

"You don't care about anything, do you, Lilith?"

"I care about the people close to me, mom, Leon, our friends, our...family, I suppose. As far as I'm concerned, everyone else can burn."

"Well, _I'm_ not like that!"

"Which is why you will always have your limitations, Lilly. You stick to a code that is way too restrictive. Just like our father."

"What do you even know about him?"

"That he was an idealistic fool."

"You keep saying that!"

"Because it's true."

"That's enough! I won't tolerate you talking about our father like that!"

"Then, do something about it!"

"I will! _Sakral Flamme_!"

"Good! _Geschwärzte Flamme_!"

The two flames born of the two halves of Caliburn were much brighter than before. The clash resulted in an explosion that flattened the surrounding landscape, which, again, reformed of its own accord, the power of the Labyrinth asserting its dominance over all that resided within, although in spite of this alternate world's power, Caliburn was starting to take its toll on the fabric of space-time. After all, the Labyrinth was a phenomenon formed out of pure and chaotic magic. Caliburn was an artifact of the highest order of ancient thaumaturgy. Even split in two, its place in the cosmic order could not be denied.

"Why do you have so much hate in your heart?" Lilly cried out.

"You could never understand!" Lilith spat. "You who grew up in the warm embrace of our mother could never understand the darkness! You may walk through it from time to time, but I _live_ in it! I _am_ the darkness! I am your shadow, Lilly!"

Lilly pondered on the idea as she continued to exchange blows with Lilith. As the truth of the matter crept its way into her heart, Lilly found her resolve sloughing away and her efforts became weaker and weaker.

"What's the matter?" Lilith yelled. "Why are you not fighting back!"

"Because there's no point," Lilly said. "Because you're right. You have been raised in complete darkness. But also because you're wrong. I _do_ understand."

That last sentence infuriated her. "There's no way you could understand! Don't lie to me! _Geschwärzte Flamme_!"

Lilly didn't defend against the attack, allowing the full force of Caliburn's might to swallow her body. The pain searing her flesh was indescribable, a combination of burning and electrocution and drowning and crushing and slicing all at once. Her aura was soundly shattered as her body tumbled around on the pavement, Caliburn clanging beside her.

She gasped weakly as she tried to get back up to her feet, but it was no use. Her strength was all but gone. And yet, something within her burned, like the fire of a phoenix awaiting its return from the ashes. Caliburn was also pulsing, calling out to her, shining as a beacon for her to follow.

_You won't...abandon me?_

It pulsed again.

_I see... Thank you..._

She reached out, gripping Caliburn by its hilt, using it as a crutch as she rose to her feet to stand before Lilith, who was marching in her direction.

"Still alive, are you?" Lilith said.

"I won't die," Lilly said in absolute defiance. "Not so long as people are counting on me to protect them."

"Bang up job you're doing."

Lilly closed her eyes as the power of Caliburn flowed into her body, fully healing her injuries.

"Don't you find this interesting? This whole paradigm, I mean. I guess dad struggled with his own thing back in his day and now here we are, doing the exact same thing he did. And we don't even know the guy." She held up her darkened half of Caliburn. "I can hear its memories. Holding it in my hand like this, it's almost as if I can feel his hand, too. But it's nothing more than a memory. That coward fled a long time ago. It's not as if we could ever actually meet the guy."

"Don't you ever get tired of talking crap about someone you've never met?"

Lilith chuckled. "Nah. I've gotta get it outta my system. After all, even though I've never met him, I somehow know who he is and what he's done and all that crap. I mean, I told you already that I'm a magical being, not that different from those stupid Daemons, just not as friggin' obsessed over stupid shit."

Lilly held Caliburn at the ready.

"You have one more scrap left in you?"

She didn't answer.

"Right. Let Caliburn decide the fate of Lilly Schnee today."

Lilith went on the offensive. Lilly deflected and redirected with perfect skill and precision, her movements guided by Caliburn itself. She and the sword were one, its essence flowing into her and combining with her soul. Like Lilith, its memories also made its way into her mind, memories of exquisite swordsmanship and unrivaled valor. What she didn't notice was that her body was now clad in a translucent form of the same armor that her knight wore. Lilith was in the same state, covered from head to toe with her black knight's see-through armor.

"If you're not gonna take this seriously," Lilith began as her darkened Caliburn began to glow, "then I might as well finish you off now! _Geschwärzte Flamme_!"

"_Unsterbliches Licht_," Lilly mumbled as a shell of golden light projected around her, completely nullifying Lilith's attack.

"What the?"

"_Geißel vom Himmel_."

Lilith turned to the sky as a massive ray of golden light poured down. "I see. You've already aligned perfectly with Caliburn. I guess I got you all wrong. You really are tough as nails. But I won't give up! Not yet!" Before the ray of light struck her, it vanished. She turned to face off with Lilly. "Why? Why did you withdraw the attack?"

Lilly didn't answer.

"You think I'm not worth finishing off or something? Huh?"

She shook her head.

"Tell me!"

Lilith attacked wildly, but Lilly fended off her attacks with ease.

"Stop playing around! Fight me! _Geschwärzte Fl_—"

Lilly interrupted her spell with a punch to the jaw, sending her reeling and causing the black knightly armor to shatter and vanish. Lilith stared at her with fury in her golden eyes.

"I'm not gonna kill you, Lilith," Lilly said, her own armor dissipating. "That would be stupid. It wouldn't be any different from killing myself."

"Defeating me will grant you _all_ the power you need! Aren't you supposed to be some sort of idealistic idiot who wants to save the whole world? Huh?"

"I'll find another way."

"There _is no other way_!"

"You're wrong."

"No! This is the only way! Your problems can't be solved with wishful thinking! Only naïve fools who've never seen the real world think that way!"

"I know. But still, there is another way."

"You're an idiot! You've always been an idiot!"

"I know." She began to sob. "And I'm sorry."

"Huh?"

"I'm sorry, Lilith, I'm so sorry."

Lilith also began to weep. "Why the hell are you apologizing? And why the hell are you crying?"

"Because...you're right. You _are_ the darkness. And it's entirely my fault."

"What?"

"I _am_ just like dad. I hung on to all the good in life and discarded all the bad, dumped it all on you. I'm the reason you are the way you are. And I know this because, like you said, you and I are the same, just different sides to each other. The hate you feel, the anger, all of it, I feel it, too. It's just...I never admitted it out loud. And I'm sorry. I'm sorry for being the reason you are the way you are."

"You think that makes up for anything? Huh?"

Lilly shook her head. "Nothing I can do can ever make up for it."

Lilith held Caliburn to her throat. "There's _one_ thing you can do. You can die right here and I'll take over our life."

"If that's what will make you happy, then I'd be glad to give it to you."

"You make _no_ sense, Lilly."

"I know. But if this is the way I need to atone for my sins against you, then so be it."

Lilith hesitated. "Stupid. You're so stupid."

She gave her a smile.

"You would throw your life away? Just like that?"

"If it means saving you, then, yeah."

Lilith allowed Caliburn to graze Lilly's neck, but the latter did not flinch, not even as the blood flowed out. She let her half of Caliburn fall to the ground.

"If this will bring you peace, Lilith," Lilly began, "I will gladly be the sacrifice."

"Stupid," Lilith spat as tears clouded her eyes. "Stupid, stupid! You're so stupid!"

"Yeah, probably. I'm stupid to have let you bear our burden all by yourself. I'm happy to trade places with you if it means you get to live in the light for once."

"You idiot! You have no idea what you're saying! This place, it's _Hell_!"

"If that's my punishment for what I've done to you, then fine."

"Shut up! Just shut up!"

Without another word, Lilly stepped forward, pushing Caliburn's blade aside before wrapping her arms all around Lilith.

"Wh...What...?"

"I'm so sorry, Lilith," Lilly whispered. "I'm sorry for having abandoned you all our life. No one should ever have to walk in darkness, not even for a moment. Like I said, I'd trade places with you so you could live in the light."

"You're such an idiot," Lilith said, fighting off the tears that threatened to pour out. "You don't have a clue what that means..."

"Maybe not, but I'd still do it anyway."

"What's gonna stop me from doing what I want out in the real world, huh? I could burn the whole city down if I wanted to."

"If you wanted to do that, you could've done it a long time ago, like when you first took over our body. I know now the extent of our power. And besides, I know you better than anyone else. That's not what you actually want."

The tears began to well up in Lilith's eyes, but she refused to let them fall.

"It's okay to cry, Lilith," Lilly said. "Believe me, it's perfectly okay to cry."

With that, Lilith let go completely, allowing the tears to fall as she returned Lilly's embrace. Lilly held on to her tightly as the light and the dark began to exchange. All of the hurt Lilith had ever experienced made its way into Lilly's heart at the same time that Lilly's joy and peace flooded Lilith. Both halves of Lilly Schnee shared tears together, holding one another tightly as the demarcation between the two blurred, eventually vanishing altogether. Both closed their eyes as they were surrounded by a brilliant light that washed away everything around them.

—

Lilly opened her eyes, glancing around. She was sitting on a bench in the middle of Shade Academy's courtyard. Students passed by left and right, some glancing at her, the rest minding their own business. She sat for several minutes, allowing her mind to refocus. Her recollection was quite hazy, but the bits and pieces gradually came back to her, though it was quite unbelievable. She looked over at Myrtenaster, which was tucked away to her left just as it always was.

_Was that just a dream?_

_I don't think so._

"What the?" Lilly said aloud.

_Okay, this is awkward._

"Y-You're in m-my—"

_What in the world did you do, Lilly?_

"Uh, I have no idea."

_Hang on, didn't you say you were gonna, like, trade places with me?_

"Y-Yeah, I did say that."

_But, we're in the real world. Both of us._

"...Yes?"

_Huh. Oh, by the way, you should probably stop talking to yourself._

"What? Why?"

_Because people are staring._

Lilly glanced around. Lilith was right. Eyeballs everywhere were glued to her. She kept her head down, pulling out her scroll and pretending to be busy with it. She quickly got up from her bench and began marching to the main building.

_Uh, Lilly? Where are you going?_

"Somewhere private!"


	10. Chapter X

CHAPTER X

_Darkness and Light_

"Demetri!" Ariadne yelled into her microphone. "Ruby! Jaune! Can any of you hear me?"

"We're ready to go in whenever," Dionysus said.

She turned to her brothers and Shade Academy's Headmaster Neptune Vasilias.

"None of you have any experience in the Labyrinth!" she said to them.

"Yeah, but there's two damsels-in-distress in there," Neptune said. "Can't just ignore that. Especially since one's the daughter of a girl I went out with once."

"I will never understand that reasoning," Orion said. "All I know is that the three of us have enough combat experience to handle ourselves in there."

"The Labyrinth is _nothing_ like battling Grimm!" Ariadne said. "You're not only up against the monsters. The very _environment_ wants to kill you!"

"Your rune gems should be good, right?" Dionysus said.

Ariadne sighed heavily. "It seems as though they've managed to stabilize space-time enough to keep the others from being separated, but still. They're prototypes at best and I will not be the one to experiment on live humans!"

"This isn't an experiment," Orion said. "This is a rescue mission."

"And the three of us are the only ones qualified," Neptune said. "Besides. I'm headmaster of Shade. The hell would I look like failing to save people from that world?"

"For one, I think it would be perfectly rational not to walk into hell itself," Orion said. "In your defense."

"I appreciate that, but I also have a duty. Like all of you."

Ariadne let out another heavy sigh, pacing this way and that way as she brainstormed. They certainly did have some other rune gems and the like that would permit them to survive much longer in the Labyrinth, but it was still far too much of a risk without someone with real magic like Lilly leading the way.

"Damn it," Ariadne muttered under her breath. "If only Lilly were here."

"Ariadne!"

The youngest child of the Jupiter family spun around quickly before running to Lilly and embracing with her.

"Oh, thank god you're here!" they both said at the same time.

"Wait, what?" Lilly said.

"Yes! What!" Ariadne said. "Wait, no time to explain. I'm glad you're safe and uninjured. Can you conduct a rescue operation right now?"

"Rescue who?"

_She's talking about your boyfriend._

"W-What? B-Boyfriend?"

"Huh?" Ariadne said.

"Oh, u-um, just, talking to myself!"

_Literally._

"Quiet!" Lilly whispered.

"I must be missing something," Ariadne said.

_Oh, hey, I've missed her. Let me say hi. Please?_

"Anyway," Lilly said.

_Hey! Don't ignore me!_

"Yes, I can conduct a rescue right now."

_Lilly._

"Good," Ariadne said, sitting at a console as Orion handed Lilly a rucksack.

_Lilly!_

"Awesome!" Lilly said. "Right now?"

"Yes," Orion said. He said something else, but Lilly didn't quite pick up on it.

_I know you can hear me!_

Lilly scratched her head hard. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

Orion and Ariadne looked at each other.

"Are you sure you're okay to go in?" Ariadne said.

"Yes!" Lilly said, scratching harder. "I'm just, I caught something, I think, while I was in there!"

_I'm not a fucking disease, you dick!_

"You seem a bit distracted," Neptune said.

"Nope!" Lilly said, running into the rift chamber. "Let's go!"

The rest of the group exchanged glances and shrugs before proceeding with the operation.

—

Demetri grunted in pain as the mutated Paolo's punch sent him crashing into a pile of debris. His aura had already failed him long ago and each strike damaged his body directly. There was little hope of him surviving this encounter if he fought head-on. His vision was blurry, but he could clearly hear his two companions struggling against the other hybrids, monsters that were created out of the remains of his former comrades.

The rhythmic thuds of Paolo's footsteps grew louder and louder before they were right on top of him. Something lifted him into the air. He looked up. Paolo's face was blurry, but he could sense something off about him.

"D...Demetri..."

The voice snapped him back to lucidity. "Paolo?" he all but yelled.

"H...Help...Demetri..."

He punched his old friend in the face with enough strength to break himself free, scampering away and getting up into a squat. His aura had just reformed and he remained low to the ground. His opponent seemed to waver somewhat, as though the real Paolo were fighting for control over the abominable body.

"Paolo!" he cried out. "Fight it!"

"Can't...it's...too strong...the Daemon..."

"Tell me how to get you out of there!"

"Kill...me..."

For some reason, the words were still a surprise, even though Demetri had already figured out that that would be the only way out for his old friend. After all, he wasn't ignorant of basic biology. If what that Dr. Watts explained was true, then there truly was nothing he could do for his old teammates. His final duty was to put them to rest.

Of course, that was a task easier said than done.

Demetri barely managed to dodge a powerful swing from his old team leader and partner, whose movements had since grown somewhat sluggish. He no longer spoke, but from his grimace and the degrading technique, Demetri knew that he continued to struggle within his own body.

"Forgive me," Demetri said before launching a flurry of attacks, but Paolo's new body was simply too tough for him to cause any meaningful damage. His Semblance would be all but useless as well, perhaps even detrimental. Lowering their inhibitions might be akin to activating a berserk mode that would spell disaster for himself and his two companions.

"C'mon!" Ruby yelled as she and Jaune arrived at his location. "We can't fight like this forever!"

"My shield is about to break," Jaune said. "We have to put some distance between us and them."

"I can't just abandon them," Demetri said.

"Take a good look!" Ruby said. "They're not your friends anymore! That, that, _dumb_ Dr. Watts and his people have turned them into monsters!"

"They're still in there. I know it. I have to set them free somehow."

His three mutated friends attacked, scattering them, but Ruby was quick to utilize her silver eye powers again, striking them with a debilitating ray of light, which gave them another avenue of escape. Instead of fleeing, however, Demetri attacked, intent on killing at least Paolo and freeing him from the hellish prison of his own body. Nevertheless, he lacked the physical strength to harm him at all, especially with the amount of fatigue stacking on him.

"Damn it," he panted. "Am I really this powerless?"

"Even if you are," a familiar voice said from beside him, "I'm not gonna let anything happen to you."

He turned to face Lilly, who was holding Myrtenaster out at their opponents, who marched steadily toward her.

"We'll catch up later," she said. "I'll take care of these three."

"Be careful!" Ruby yelled. "They're a lot tougher than they look!"

Lilly glanced at her and Jaune, whose shield was at its breaking point. If these two seasoned Huntsmen were pushed to the brink like this, these new monsters she didn't recognize were definitely not to be underestimated.

As Orion, Dionysus, and Neptune tended to the three beleaguered warriors, Lilly began her assault, launching every manner of Dust and magic attack at the three monsters, all of which failed to even scratch her enemies.

_Hey._

"Not now, Lilith."

_I was gonna say to let me take over._

"Huh?"

_You're worn out from our fight earlier._

"What, and you're not?"

_Not nearly as much as you, dude. C'mon, lemme take the wheel._

Lilly didn't respond, tightening her grip on Myrtenaster.

_I get that you don't trust me yet. Hell, I don't trust me either. But if we're gonna survive this, you should let me handle this shit._

She let out a heavy sigh. "Okay, then."

_Cool._

They both waited for several seconds.

_Uh, what's supposed to happen now?_

"How should I know?" Lilly yelled. "I thought _you_ knew!"

_Hey! Wait! Look out!_

Lilly found herself beset from all directions by the three mutated Beacon Academy students.

_How the hell did you get surrounded?_

"Because you're distracting me!"

In the next instant, Lilly and Lilith switched places and the latter was in full control over their body. She stumbled for a moment, but as soon as she gained her bearing, she engaged the enemy trio. As she had said, Lilith was much less fatigued than Lilly and she managed to defend against all three at once while simultaneously delivering punches and kicks that sent each target stumbling backward.

_Whoa! That was cool!_

"Shut up! Oh, gods, now I know how that feels!"

_But, like, you're doing so good!_

"Lilly, be quiet! I'm trying to concentrate!"

_Oh! Sorry!_

Lilith held Myrtenaster upright in front of her face, closing her eyes as she summoned a magical power from deep within. A burst of blackened light pulsed from deep within her core as Myrtenaster transformed into that ancient sword of magic, the sword of the Once and Future King, the sword which bore the name Caliburn.

In the meantime, Jaune and Ruby were in a near-panic. They recognized the black light of the darkened Caliburn. After all, they had fought against it almost twenty years ago.

"What's wrong?" Orion asked them. "Are you two all right?"

"Most definitely not," Jaune said, his voice quavering.

"Why is Caliburn completely black?" Ruby whispered. "And more importantly, why is Lilly surrounded with that darkness?"

"Hey, Demetri!" Lilith called out. "You wanted me to put your old buddies out of their misery, yeah?"

Something about her manner of speaking was odd, but Demetri ignored it for now. "Yes, please," he said. "I do not have the power to do it myself, but I beg of you, free them from this nightmare."

"Sure thing, buddy!" She turned to the trio, who were marching at her mindlessly. "I promise this'll be quick, but it's also gonna be fucking painful. Can't do anything about that, so, mah bad!"

_What are you waiting for!_

"Shh! Caliburn! Let's do this! _Geschwärzte Flamme_!"

Caliburn unleashed a massive wave of black flame, which swallowed all three of Demetri's old friends completely, vaporizing them from existence. As they vanished, Lilly connected with their minds ever so briefly. Each one of them thanked her for releasing them from their suffering.

_I'm sorry. I should have done more for you guys. I'm so sorry._

"Hey," Lilith said, resting Caliburn on her shoulder. "You did all you could. It's not like you coulda gone and figured out where the hell they were all this time."

_But, I didn't even try to search for them._

"Look, you woulda just been wasting your time anyway. You never woulda found them."

_I still can't help but—_

Lilith fell to her knees.

_Hey! Are you okay?_

"I guess I'm a lot more tired than I thought," she panted. "Shit, this sucks—"

In a split second, Lilly was in control once more.

"Lilith!" she yelled. "Are you all right?"

_Stop yelling, Lilly, please._

"Oh, sorry!"

_Stop...yelling..._

"Crap," she whispered.

_Why are you so worried about me anyway? It's not like we've been BFFs for the last year or some shit._

"That doesn't matter to me. I wasn't lying when I said that I would trade places with you so you could live in the light. _No one_ deserves eternal darkness like this."

_I wish I could be as naïve as you._

"I prefer the word 'optimistic'!"

_My god, please, can you turn the volume down? Is that possible for you?_

"Oh!" She lowered her voice to a whisper again. "Sorry!"

_Your friends are coming. You should probably stop talking to yourself now._

Lilly gasped before turning around to face her friends.

"Hi!" she said excitedly.

_Lilly! The fucking volume!_

"Hey," Neptune said. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Yup! I'm doing great!"

"Are you sure?" Ruby asked.

"Mm-hmm!"

_My head...is gonna explode..._

"We just wanted to make sure," Jaune said, eyeing Myrtenaster at her side. "You, uh, it seems you've mastered your mom's weapon."

"Yeah it's pretty cool huh I didn't even know it could transform like that into a super awesome sword and stuff and it's like _wha-pow _and _whoosh_ and _bzzzzt_!" She drew Myrtenaster and swung it around, but it didn't transform for her. "Aww, it's not doing it anymore!"

_Lilly, your energy is exhausting, do you know that?_

She giggled nervously.

"In any case," Orion said, "let's head back to the real world. Our business here is done."

—

Ariadne sighed heavily as she leaned back in her chair. She rested her forearms over her eyes, trying to sort out all the information in her head.

"Orange juice?" Demetri said as he walked up to her.

"Thank you," she said, sitting upright and putting her glasses back on. "How are you doing?"

"A lot better knowing that Lilly is safe and my old teammates are no longer suffering. But my body is still quite sore. Paolo was never a slouch as a Beacon student, but with those augmentations, he was unstoppable for the most part."

"I must offer my condolences once more. I know they were your friends."

"Thank you."

"Have you had time to grieve at least?"

"To be honest, I grieved for them long ago, when Lilly pulled me out of the Labyrinth. It's just that now I at least have closure." He glanced at the monitors. "Have you made any progress?"

She nodded. "The life waveform scanning technology Dr. Hillphire developed years ago has been vital to all of our Labyrinth operations. I thought it required calibration earlier, but now I know for certain."

"That something is wrong with Lilly."

"She's...changed."

"I saw for myself her behavior in the Labyrinth. It reminded me somewhat of how she acted a few months ago, just after that disaster at Mount Horeb High School. What exactly did your scanner say about her?"

"Her waveform has changed slightly. It's...I can't quite put my finger on it. She's mostly herself, but there are slight fluctuations with her soul. And there's another thing. At first, I attributed it to a glitch in the machine or something, but after recalibrating and reconfiguring, I can't get the anomaly to go away."

"Anomaly?"

"Yes. The machine keeps swapping back and forth and attempting to overlay two waveforms together. It's as though...as though there are two beings in Lilly's body."

"Another Lilly?"

She nodded. "Given everything we've seen, anything is possible. Be careful around her, Demetri. I know you've vowed to protect her, but we don't know what to expect, especially with that massive space-time distortion that she created when she killed your old teammates."

"I had a feeling your equipment would detect all that."

"What exactly happened in there?"

—

"Orion should have submitted his report by now," Ruby said into the transmitter. "We left out a lot of stuff, though. Don't wanna cause any undue panic."

"You made the right choice," Tai replied. "I'll bring this up with Ozpin. If Caliburn really has returned to our world, and it's not the _good_ Caliburn, it really is a cause for alarm."

"Have you heard from Yang's team?"

"Yeah. They're starting to screw around with the Labyrinth over in Mistral, too. Apparently, that boy Yuan has a Wraith-Knight or something in him."

"This is dark magic we're playing with here," Jaune said. "I don't like the way things are going."

"Neither do I, but from what I hear, they've been making serious progress. Team LILY and APEX have liberated three Labyrinths already."

Ruby sighed. "It feels like we're playing with fire. Fighting against the Grimm is one thing, but messing around with forces we don't understand is just asking for trouble."

"Unfortunately," Tai began, "we're the 'privileged few' who know exactly what it means to deal with that kind of crap."

"Which is why it makes no sense," Jaune said. "Hillphire and them, they all went through the same crap. So why would they sanction it?"

"Maybe they feel cornered. It's true that the Labyrinth is a threat. There's a reason the Coalition is still active, even today."

"We're gonna continue with what we're doing here," Ruby said. "Love you, dad."

"I love you, too, Ruby. Jaune, you two take care of each other."

"We always do," Jaune said before the call terminated.

Ruby let out a heavy sigh. "What should we do about Lilly?"

"I don't know about you, but whatever's going on with her, it screams out Wraith to me."

She shivered at the thought of that malicious entity. It had nearly brought about their total ruin so many years ago. It took all of them just to resist it. In the end, only Weiss and the powers afforded by the sacred sword Durandal managed to stand up to it and even then, it required Bedivere sacrificing his life to rid the world of it forever.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Ruby turned to Jaune with blurry vision. She wiped away the tears. "Sorry. I didn't even realize I was crying."

He reached over and wrapped his arms around her.

"Why did he even die? That thing is back! What did he die for?"

"I ask myself the same thing these days," Jaune said. "I watch the news and see the threat of war between Vacuo and Atlas and I wonder what the hell he even died for."

"What do we do, Jaune?"

"We'll deal with it one day at a time. Just like before. If it really was as much of a threat as it was back then, we'd already be in a nightmare world, right?"

"I guess."

"We can make it. We did it once. We can do it again. As long as we stick together."


	11. Chapter XI

CHAPTER XI

_Warriors of Dawn_

"You got it, Ingrid?" Leon yelled to his teammate.

"Yeah!" she yelled back. "Echo! Cover me!"

The group's archer was already on it, sending arrows at the intervening Corrupted, protecting her comrade as she somersaulted all around the room, hopping from platform to platform before finally reaching the altar suspended high up from the ceiling.

"What kind of stupid construction is this place anyway?" Ingrid mumbled before placing the statue in the middle of the pedestal. The ground began to shake and she hopped back down, rejoining the rest of her group.

"What the hell is gonna happen now?" Leon said as the temple began to change shape, its halls and chambers rearranging themselves.

"Looks like a new room opened up again," Perseus said.

"I'm detecting a lot of Corrupted coming through!" Xanthus said, readying both of his swords for battle.

"Yuan!" Athena called out. "Party buffs, please!"

Yuan chuckled before holding up his left hand and calling on the power of the Earth Rune, bestowing upon his allies increased aura and physical durability along with physical strength.

"_Gehärtete Verteidigung_. _Stahlknöchel_."

"All right!" Leon said before attacking alongside Athena. "Let's do this, sis!"

"You hoppin' teams now, little brother?" she said as she stabbed a Corrupted in the face.

"I thought we were all one big team, though." He glanced back at Ivory, who seemed upset. Her look alone was enough to cause him to trip and fall face-flat on the ground.

"Oh my god!" Ingrid said, running to him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah!" he said, springing up to his feet. "I'm fine!"

"Nah," Echo said as she passed by them. "You're whipped to high hell."

Ingrid chuckled. "Sorry. I agree with her."

"W-Whipped?" he said nervously.

"They mean that Ivory has you by the balls," Yuan said.

"I know what it means—I am _not_ whipped!"

"Leon, please maintain formation," Ivory said.

"Y-Yes, ma'am!"

"Totes whipped," Perseus said, to which Xanthus nodded quietly.

"Can all of you _focus_?" Athena yelled, completely surrounded by Corrupted.

—

"I'm surprised you aren't in there with them," Yang said to Penny as they watched the youngsters' progress in the Labyrinth.

"After the damage she took yesterday," Hillphire began, "I couldn't exactly let her go back in there, not until repairs are complete."

Penny looked down at her temporary right leg. The one yesterday had been crushed by falling debris when she had tackled Perseus to get him out of a collapsing tunnel. They only barely made it out of that one alive and now she was feeling every bit useless to them.

"You have to let them grow up sometime, you know," Yang said.

"I don't think that's it," Qrow said. "She's gotten attached to them. Not as an instructor, but as a friend."

Penny looked over at her colleague.

"You and I have been working together for years now. I've paid attention to the stuff you do, you know. You've never gotten this attached to any of the other students. I mean, I get it. After all, they're your old friends' kids and stuff."

It wasn't just that. Although she had been friends with Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang—all of them—for years, in many ways, she also didn't belong. It wasn't merely the fact that she wasn't human in the traditional sense. She was also the youngest of the group, and by a lot. The estimation was that she was only around three years of age during the previous war. The next youngest was Ruby, who was more than a decade her senior. In a way, she belonged with this group a lot more than their parents. After all, she was technically only a few years older than even Lilly, the eldest of the group of friends.

"How is the balancing on your right leg?" Hillphire asked.

"It could use some calibration," Penny said. She wasn't about to lie to him.

"We should have it finished by tonight. You'll be able to join them again on their next incursion."

"Thank you, Liam. For now, I'll just stay away from wearing shorts or skirts. The weather's pretty good for pants anyway."

"I'm gonna head back," Qrow said. "Hollie and Winter are meeting up with the talking heads. I hate sitting in on the damn things, but I gotta be there."

"See you later, uncle Qrow," Yang said as he left.

"It seems they're closing in on the core of this Labyrinth," Hillphire said, watching the monitors closely. "I wish we could communicate with them at this depth, though. It's a miracle the monitors can even pick them up right now."

—

"Echo!" Athena yelled as she clashed weapons with a heavily clawed Corrupted. "Do the thing!"

Echo nodded before releasing a well-aimed arrow, which severed the red vein-like tendrils that extended from the Labyrinth's owner. She ran to the young man, shouldering him up.

"Wh...What's going on?" he mumbled.

"You're okay now," Echo said. "You can go back to the real you."

"My...my wife is gonna give birth soon..."

"So go be with her."

"You're right. Thank you."

She smiled as he faded away with twinkles of light. The Labyrinth began to crumble right on cue.

"This way!" Ingrid yelled, standing at a hallway entrance.

The entire group of eight piled through, dashing as fast as their legs would take them. At the final stretch, the Labyrinth's collapse intensified and Ivory projected glyphs behind every single member of the party, launching them forward.

"Whoa!" Leon yelled.

"Shit!" Perseus yelled.

The group all fell into a mass of flailing bodies as they landed outside of the crumbling Labyrinth. Only Ivory and Ingrid managed to land on their feet.

"Ow," Echo said, rubbing her hip. "Perseus, your shield is dangerous."

"I think I agree," he said, rubbing his head. "Pretty sure I surfed on it upside down just now."

"Is everyone okay?" Athena said, helping Xanthus up.

Leon was sprawled out on the ground. He held up an arm with a thumb up.

"Get up, dummy," Ingrid said, reaching down to him.

Meanwhile, Yuan allowed his Wraith-Knight to rest. Although it was much more stable within the Labyrinth, its stamina was not infinite. A whole week without any rest was enough to make him feel the effects of fatigue.

"Your clothes are back to normal," Ivory said to him.

"Yeah," he said. "My Wraith-Knight finally ran out of battery."

"Then, it's time we took a break from the Labyrinth for a short period. Are we all agreed?"

There were no objections.

"Let's head back to base," Athena said.

—

"Ugh, why does my everything hurt right now?" Leon sighed as he fell face flat on the carpet.

"You're not the only one," Perseus said, sitting on the couch and resting his feet on Leon's back.

"Fuck you, man."

Ingrid and Echo sat back to back on his shoulders.

"You all suck."

"Yuan, Xanthus," Ivory said. "You two are Mistral natives. Are there any hot springs around here?"

"I'm not actually from the capital," Yuan said. "I grew up in Kuroyuri. I only came out here when I attended Sanctum."

"I believe there is one close by," Xanthus said, pushing up his glasses. "It's only a fifteen minute walk from campus, if I'm not mistaken."

"What do you all say to some well-needed rest and relaxation?" Ivory said. "At the hot springs, I mean."

Leon and Perseus seemed to have light bulbs go on simultaneously and they both looked at each other, grins forming on their faces.

"The hell are you two smirking about?" Ingrid said, looking down at him.

"Muffin!" Leon said, springing to his feet at the same time as Perseus and knocking both girls off his back.

"You know what this means," Perseus said to him.

"Oh, yes, yes I do, my friend."

They bumped fists.

"I don't think I understand what's going on," Yuan said, to which the two boys immediately darted to his side.

"I see," Perseus said.

"It seems we need to help you out of your cocoon, my combat partner," Leon said.

"Enough of this!" Xanthus said, breaking up the trio. "You must show some decency when referring to our teammates!"

Perseus threw an arm around his partner before pushing his glasses up for him. "Do you see?" he said, gesturing toward the four girls, all of whom stood with their arms crossed. "My friend, do you see?"

"I don't like where this conversation is going," Athena said.

"Neither do I," Ivory said.

"We should go without them," Ingrid said, leading the way out of the lounge.

Echo nodded before following after the other three girls.

"Hey!" Leon said, running after them. "Wait! Don't leave us behi—"

The other three boys gasped and recoiled as their comrade ran face first into a glyph that functioned no differently from a brick wall. He fell to the ground, twitching in pain.

"That looked like it hurt," Yuan said.

"I s-suddenly f-fear for m-m-my life," Xanthus said, trembling.

"Not me!" Perseus said, also shaking in his boots. "I'm not afraid of a-anything!"

—

Echo spent some time brushing her hair in front of the mirror. Despite the overly exasperating behavior of the boys, Ivory was intent on their entire group going to the hot spring together. The current leader of Team LILY wasn't satisfied with only half of the team attending a team-building activity. There was a knock at her door and she went over to it, sliding the thin barrier open.

"Oh, that looks great on you," Ingrid said.

Echo felt herself redden. "Thanks," she said before finally noticing the yukata Ingrid also wore, which was primarily black and indigo in color with iris flowers embroidered all over the fabric. The look was topped off by a hair tie which looked like a blue iris flower. "Wow, that looks amazing."

Ingrid chuckled before walking in with her and shutting the door. "Looks like you're having trouble with your hair."

"I don't really do anything other than a simple ponytail. Like, ever."

"Here, sit down," Ingrid said, pulling out a chair in front of her mirror before getting to work. "So. Just wait 'til you see Athena."

"As if I wasn't nervous enough already. Thanks a lot, Ingrid."

She chuckled. "That's what friends are for, right?"

"Psh."

There was another knock at the door.

"It's not locked," Echo said.

The door slid open to reveal Athena and Ivory in the hallway.

"Not bad," Athena said, her hand on her hip. "The whole black and purple look really suits you."

"Th-Thanks," Echo said, reddening and shrinking into herself. They might have been going steady by now, but that didn't stop Athena from turning her into mush every time she said something even remotely romantic or flirtatious to her. Meanwhile, Ingrid couldn't help but smile at the interaction.

"Perfect," Ingrid said, stepping back. Echo's dark brown hair had since grown back out to her upper back. Not quite as long as it once was, but enough to force her to tie it into a ponytail again with every battle they went into. "It's actually kinda good that your hair grew back out. As good as the sidecut looks on you, it's not exactly the best hairstyle to wear with a yukata."

Echo looked at herself in the mirror. This was the first time her hair had ever been done so intricately. It was tied up primarily in a bun-like formation with two ornate chopsticks crossing in the back, a few locks here and there hanging freely. She had to admit, it did look pretty good. She looked over at Athena, who wore a bright red and white yukata with golden embroidery, her thick, golden hair tied up into a bun with locks shooting out from her bun like the rays of the sun. A single golden lock ran down the right side of her face. The sight instantly melted Echo's heart once more.

Even Ivory was perfectly capable of rocking the traditional Mistral look, although that was no surprise given her tendency to wear high-style clothing. Her own yukata, with its pure white and pale blue theme, appeared custom-made. At least, that's what Echo figured since it was unlikely that there were many yukata out there that donned the Schnee family emblem.

"You look like your aunt with that hairstyle," Ingrid said.

"Aunt Weiss wore her ponytail to her right," Ivory clarified. "Mine is to the left, as you can see."

"My bad, your highness," Ingrid said with a curtsey.

"I still..." Echo said, trailing off.

"Hmm?" Athena said.

"I don't get why we're all dressed up like this when we're going to a hot spring. Are these, like, traditional bathing suits in Mistral?"

Ingrid chuckled. "No, but there's a festival going on, remember? That's why we're all dressed up. After that, we head to the hot springs."

"Oh." She had completely forgotten about the festival. Festivals meant people. And she didn't like being around so many people.

"Don't worry," Athena said, wrapping an arm around her. "I'll protect you from all the scary crowds."

That didn't exactly help things. How was Echo supposed to stand now with her knees shaking like this?

"I'm quite sure you just made her even more nervous," Ivory said. "Anyway, even if we weren't attending the festival, we are walking all the way to the resort. It may be springtime now, but it's not exactly warm outside. I'm from Atlas, but I am _not_ walking around out there without anything on."

"But we could just wear bathrobes," Echo said.

"We could, but this is traditional clothing here in Mistral and I believe it is appropriate to reach out. Also, correct me if I am mistaken, but yukata are commonly used as bathrobes as well, are they not?"

"That's what Xanthus told us," Ingrid said.

"Honestly," Athena began, "I just think they're friggin' gorgeous. There's nothing like this back in Patch. Or in Vale. At least, I don't remember anything like this being all that popular. Might've seen it once at, like, those specialty stores and stuff."

"Yeah, Menagerie has nothing like this either."

Echo did agree with one thing. These garments were absolutely beautiful. To a girl like her, who grew up in the woods and to whom beauty took a backseat to practicality and function, this was quite the exquisite thing to wear. And the softness of the cotton on her bare skin was a luxury she had never experienced until today.

"Shall we go and see if the boys are ready?" Ivory said.

"Psh," Ingrid said. "Yuan and Xanthus are probably the only ones who are all dressed up since they're from here."

Ivory led the way to the lounge, but even her nerves of steel were rattled for an instant when she set foot into the room. The first person she saw was Leon, who was looking at some of the wall hangings. He was dressed in a black and red yukata with opposite-colored roses embroidered all over the black and red segments. From what she could tell, he had also redone the highlights in his hair; the red tips were much sharper than she remembered them.

The other boys were also dressed in their own respective colors. Xanthus was clad in a yellow and black yukata, the outfit accentuated by yellow-colored fire and ice on the left and right, respectively. Yuan wore a yukata primarily dark green in color, but with cyan accents and trim and a golden dragon embroidery encircling the entire outfit. Like his combat partner, his hair's tips were also highlighted, but with his signature color, cyan, instead.

Even Perseus was dressed in a yukata, though he was probably the least suited to the style given his slightly more rugged build than the rest of the group. His was simple compared to the others, bronze with gold accents and a single crane embroidered over the left chest. Most surprisingly, however, was the presence of Astor and Penny in the group.

"What's he doing here?" Ingrid said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I invited him," Ivory said. "He might not take part in our Labyrinth incursions, but he is my brother and your friend from childhood."

"Dude, that looks pretty good on you," Athena said to Astor, giving him a high five.

"I haven't worn this in years," he said, admiring his own yukata, which was dark red in color with pink and white cherry blossoms printed all over. "Isn't it pretty?" he said with a little hop and an artificially high-pitched, overly giddy voice.

Athena couldn't help but laugh. "Never change, dude."

"Penny-senpai!" Xanthus said with a bow.

The eldest of the group put a hand over her mouth to stifle the chuckle, but it managed to escape. "What are you doing, Xan-chan?"

"J-Just, uh, you look beautiful in your yukata!" he instantly reddened as soon as he completed his sentence.

Astor chuckled as he bumped fists with Perseus and Leon. "Xanthus has a thing for the upperclassmen, huh?" he said.

"Bruh," Leon said. "You know he works on her insides, don't you?"

Echo spit out her drink all over the wall.

"What?" Astor said in shock.

"You know Penny's a robot, right?" Perseus said.

"Oh, y-yeah. O-Of course I knew that! I wasn't thinking about, well—I-I wasn't thinking about anything! I swear!"

Ivory sighed heavily, putting a hand on her forehead. "The three of you need to be separated," she said flatly.

—

The group spent little time at the spring festival. There weren't very many things to do other than shop at vendors, but the main reason they vacated as soon as possible was because Echo had disappeared from the group. They were finally able to locate her high up in a tree, sitting on a branch and spying on everyone.

"And I thought Ingrid hated crowds," Leon chuckled as he led the way into the resort lobby.

"I do!" she asserted.

"Good evening," Ivory said to the receptionist. "I have a reservation for Ivory Schnee."

"Two rooms, yes?" the woman said as she went through her computer.

"Yes."

"Perfect. Both rooms are ready for you any time."

"Thank you very much."

"Whoa, wait, we're staying overnight?" Leon said.

"Hey, I don't mind," Astor said.

"I mean, me neither, but like, all our shit is back at the dorms."

"Did you book the gold class?" Xanthus asked Ivory.

"I did," she said.

"I see. We won't be needing any of our things."

"Huh?" Perseus said.

"This resort is quite high class compared to others in the city. The gold class rooms come fully stocked with any amenities you might need. This level also provides guests with complimentary clothing if needed. The service caters to those who like to travel light, but wish to have everything they need easily accessible."

"Holy crap," Ingrid said. "Wait, why didn't you at least tell us about this?"

"It was a last minute decision I made while we were at the festival," Ivory said. "I figured that since we're here to relax, it would be best if we stayed the night. After all, it's a bit difficult to relax back at the dorms with constant reminders of our duties."

"Honestly we woulda been fine at the dorms," Athena said. "But hey, this is awesome."

"I guess rich girls really do think differently from the rest of us," Ingrid said.

Perseus sensed some discomfort from Ivory. He was the only one here who could relate to what she was probably experiencing right now, also coming from a wealthy family. Then again, his family only recently became rich and he could still remember how it was being a normal citizen of Vacuo. Even today, they had the tendency to keep things simple, opting for cozy vacations at local villages instead of extravagant overseas voyages.

Athena was also closely examining her rival, but what she had been picking up on was something else entirely. Every team-building activity so far had been suggestions by Ivory, including the wearing of yukata. In fact, it was she who had paid for the garments.

"It looks like the men's session is first," Ingrid said, reading the schedule for the hot spring. "I guess we could do some shopping over there while we wait."

"Let's go!" Leon said, pushing open both doors into the hot spring.

"Hmm," Xanthus said, looking around. "We're the only ones here tonight."

"Surprising given there's a festival," Perseus said. "I thought this place would be full of people."

"I ain't complaining," Astor said. "We have this place all to ourselves!"

The quintet took off their yukata, hanging them at the towel rack before getting into the spring.

"Holy shit this feels great," Astor said, relaxing at the edge, submerging himself all the way up to his chin.

"Dude, I haven't been in one of these since we were still going to Signal," Leon said.

"It's unfortunate we have to separate with the girls," Xanthus said, pushing up his glasses.

Astor, Leon, and Perseus rushed to his side.

"W-What are you all doing?" the class president said.

"So," Perseus began. "You wanna see them, too, do you?"

"I-I mean, yes, we should do all of our activities together!"

"Oh, yeah," Leon said, nodding. "I very agree."

"You! Stop thinking lewd things about our teammates!"

"Lewd?" Astor said. "Whatever do you mean?"

"You know," Leon began, "we could always overstay our timer."

"You don't think they'll notice that we haven't left yet?" Xanthus all but yelled.

"Keep it down!" Perseus said.

"Is this really a good idea?" Yuan said, joining them. "We might get kicked out of the resort."

Astor chuckled. "_That's_ what he's worried about."

"C'mon, man," Leon said, throwing an arm around his partner's shoulder. "You haven't wondered what Ingrid looks like under all that?"

"She probably has an excellent figure given her athletic ability," Yuan said.

"Leave it to him to give the straightest answers ever," Perseus sighed. "I vote yes."

"Same," Astor said.

"Yup," Leon said.

"I suppose I'm in," Yuan said.

"Yuan!" Xanthus all but yelled as he gesticulated wildly with his hands. "I expected more from you!"

"You know," Perseus said, resting his hand on his partner's shoulder, "Penny's with the girls, too."

"I know! And that is why we should show some respect! For our senpais and kouhais!"

"Xanthus," Leon began, "you know you wanna stay."

"A-Absolutely not!"

Leon, Astor, and Perseus gave him grins.

"I-I will only stay to ensure that you three do nothing nefarious!"

"I don't understand what the problem is," Yuan said. "They're all probably wearing bathing suits like we are."

Xanthus noticeably reddened.

"Oh, he wants to stay," Astor said.

"Yup," Leon said.

"It's okay, Xan-chan," Perseus said. "We gotchu."

—

"That really is a nice yukata," Ivory said, joining Penny, who was browsing through clothes at the small resort shop.

"Thank you!" Penny said. "Yours is gorgeous, too!"

"What made you decide on a green and white swan motif?"

"It's from a story I heard a while back, about an ugly duckling. She was ridiculed by the other ducklings because she looked different from all of them and spends much of her youth in solitude. It isn't until she's all grown up that she realizes she's one of the swans that comes around every so often and she finally finds her place in the world, joining the flock."

"That's quite the story."

"I've always loved it. I think we all long to find our place in the world, don't you think?"

"Yes, I suppose that is true."

"You guys ready to take a dip?" Athena said as she and the other two girls joined them.

Ivory looked at her scroll's clock. "Yes, let's go."

"You guys go ahead of me," Penny said. "I'll join you later."

"Why?" Ingrid said. "We can't go in there without you. You're part of the group."

"I just, I have some things to take care of."

"Does this have something to do with the replacement?" Ivory said.

"Replacement?" It took a few seconds for Penny to realize what she meant. "N-No, not at all."

"I've noticed that you've been doing your best to keep your yukata down. And you're wearing socks. That's against tradition, if I am not mistaken."

Penny looked down at her feet.

"Hey," Athena said, taking her hand. "We already told you. There's nothing for you to be ashamed of. You're one of us. So what if your leg is made of metal right now? My aunt Yang lived with a metal hand for more than ten years before Hillphire gave her one of the company's more realistic replacements. That didn't make her any less human."

"Yeah," Ingrid said. "Go show off that body of yours."

Penny looked around at her companions. For an instant, they were no longer her students. It was as though she was standing among her old friends, the parents of this new generation, a generation that she was now a part of.

"I-I mean," Echo stammered, "if you don't wanna go, I can stay with you!"

"Hey," Athena said sternly.

"S-Sorry."

"All five of us are going together," Ivory said, leading the way to the spring. "And that's that."

Upon entering, they spotted the guys still seated at the far side of the pool. Leon noticed them and began wading their way.

"What the hell are they still doing here?" Athena said, throwing her hands on her hips.

"Ugh, they're probably being perverts again," Ingrid said. "Oh, god, they even dragged Yuan into their stupid scheme!"

"So you guys made it," Leon said, standing at the edge of the water before retreating back into the pool. "Wooo! It's c-cold out there!"

"What's going on here?" Ivory said. "Didn't your time end already?"

"Yeah, but, we kinda talked about it, and we figured it was kinda crap that the team had to be split in half like that, so we sorta overstayed our time."

Ivory stood in thought for a few seconds before turning to the rack to hang her towel and yukata.

"What?" Echo said.

"Am I missing something here?" Ingrid said.

Meanwhile, Athena had finally pieced together what it was she had been picking up from Ivory all this time. It couldn't be clearer than it was now. Each and every thing planned for today was calculated and deliberate. After all, Ivory wasn't one to act on impulse.

"Okay, then, let's do it," Athena said, also removing her yukata and hanging it up.

"U-Uh," Echo said.

"C'mon, beb, don't be coy. Show off that hot bod of yours."

She felt as though her head were about to burst.

"You're not feeling shy around us, are you?"

"Of course I am!" Echo screamed.

Nevertheless, in short order, the girls were out of their yukata and standing at the edge of the hot spring, Each one donned simple two-piece bikinis, Echo wearing a set of dark purple, Athena wearing a pair of bright reds, Ingrid in deep indigo, and Ivory in pale blues. Only Penny remained at the back of the group, still fully dressed.

"Hey," Athena said to her. "Is your leg waterproof?"

"Well, yeah," she answered, shrinking somewhat.

"Get in, then."

"Yeah, what are you waiting for?" Leon said.

She looked over at him. He was extending a hand to help Ivory into the pool, but she smacked his hand away.

"My goodness, this is hot," Ivory said.

"It _is_ a _hot_ spring, you know," Athena said.

"I know what it is!"

Athena glanced over at Echo, who was clutching herself. "It won't be so cold once we're in the water, you know."

"It's not the cold that's the problem," she said.

Athena reached over, pulling her girlfriend close before kissing her on the neck. Echo shivered, but the chill lasted all of a split second because now her whole body was like fire. She offered zero resistance as Athena led her into the water.

"I can't friggin' believe you," Ingrid said, still glaring at Leon.

"What?" he said with a small chuckle.

"You're polluting Yuan's mind!"

"Psh! This was his idea!"

"Like I'm going to believe that!"

"C'mon, then, kitty kat!" he said, holding out a hand for her.

"Ugh! Put your hand away!"

She was on her way down when he pulled her into the water and she shrieked.

"I hate you!" she said, splashing hot water in his face, making him yell and run away, though, in waist-deep water, running was impossible and he tripped and dunked himself fully into the spring, reemerging with a gasp.

"Hooo, fuck!" he yelled.

"You absolutely deserved that," Ivory said.

"Well?" Athena said, looking up at Penny, who was still fully clothed.

The eldest of the group sighed, pushing away her reservations and hanging up her yukata, revealing a pale green two-piece bikini set. She stood at the edge of the spring, her robotic right leg completely visible, all the way up to her thigh, where the sutures ringed her leg. She looked down at the group, all of whom were smiling at her.

"Penny-senpai!" Xanthus called out, rapidly wading in their direction, but like Leon, the water resistance was too much and he fell straight into the hot water and reemerged screaming.

"Xanthus!" she said, getting into the pool and heading to him. "Are you all right?"

"Yes!" he said, his face bright red. "I tried to stop them! I swear!"

She chuckled. "Ivory has a point, though. It's a little unsatisfactory for the whole group to be split up like that, so it's okay."

"See, man?" Leon said, putting an arm around his friend. "I told you it would be fine!"

"You, on the other hand, are a pervert."

"Wha?"

Penny giggled. "I'm only kidding. I know it was Xan-chan's idea."

Xanthus stiffened, turning ghostly white.

"Oh my goodness! You two are so easy to tease! C'mon, let's catch up to the group!"

Theirs was a well-deserved rest. The time they spent submerged in the hot spring was exactly what they had needed for a time now to help loosen everything up, all of the stress that had been building, the body ache that refused to go away.

"Man, this was a great idea," Astor said. "I knew I could count on sis to come up with the best shit."

"I don't know what you're so relaxed about," Ivory said. "You don't even go into the Labyrinth with us."

"Well, yeah, but dude I been going out to fight the Grimm and shit! And my friggin' dad threw me on a team with professional Huntsmen! Do you know how intimidating that is?"

"I dunno," Athena said. "As intimidating as going into a world where the ground itself wants to kill you?"

"Okay, okay, jeez. Still, it's not like I've been sitting on my ass these past months."

"You've been doing a good job, too, from what I hear," Penny said. "Yang told me she's thinking about hiring you."

"Uh, no, thanks."

"Why?" Ingrid said. "What's wrong with her group?"

"Her mom scares the shit outta me."

Snickers went around.

"Honestly, though, I'm kinda stoked about this whole thing," Athena said. "This is what Lilly has been doing for the past, like, whole year, isn't it?"

"I believe so," Yuan said. "The first time I heard about it was after I woke up from my coma. It was actually her who had gone through my Labyrinth to free me from it."

"I remember that story," Xanthus said. "It's quite frightening to think that at any time, any of us could be pulled into that place without us knowing."

"It's not random, though," Ivory said. "From what Dr. Hillphire has discussed with us, the Fourth Layer of the Labyrinth is the world that represents a person's deepest traumas, so you'd have to have profound issues for it to happen, which, from Yuan's story, is why he found himself in a similar situation."

"I thought I had lost Ingrid," he said. "I guess that had a heavier effect on me than I thought it would."

Athena and Echo looked over at Ingrid, who was turning red. They exchanged glances and giggled.

"How much time do we have left?" Leon said.

"Should be thirty more minutes before they close for cleanup," Ivory said.

"All right, then, it's time to share some stories."

"About what, though?" Xanthus said.

"Hmm." He sat in thought for a moment, his face twisting in disgust as he came across one of the most unpleasant memories of his life.

"The heck are you thinking about?" Ivory said.

"Oh, god," he said, gagging. "I just, remembered, when I walked in, on my mom and dad."

Groans and retching went around the entire group.

"Dude, you, too?" Athena said.

"Oh, god! You walked in on them, too?" Leon yelled.

"In the frikkin' garage. I was, ugh, this is gross. Do you remember when we were supposed to have that jam session with Astor and the rest of the band? And I was late and shit?"

"Oh. Oh! Oh, hell no!"

"On top of the goddamn hood of _my car_!"

More groans went around the group.

"Dude! I think that was _mom's_ idea!" Leon said. "Cuz, like, she, and dad, oh god, they were in the garden! And it was _her_ who was telling dad to do things!"

"Why do your parents pick the weirdest places?" Echo yelled.

"I don't know!" the twins cried at the same time.

"Oh, god," Ingrid groaned.

"Oh, no," Echo said. "_You_ have a story, too, don't you?"

The only Faunus in the group sighed heavily. Very heavily. "All I will say is, there's a reason I have _five_ siblings."

"Oh, no."

"I...don't wanna talk about it. I just...I...let's just say that...my mom is very loud. And so is my dad."

Even more groaning descended on the group.

"At least you guys have never walked in on the shit that I have," Astor said.

They all turned to him. He was submerged all the way up to his mouth.

"The rational part of me wants to tell you _not_ to say anything since that man is also my father," Ivory said. "But the stupid part of me wants to hear this story."

Astor stared at the surface of the water for a moment, trying to get over that traumatic event. "Let's just say...that my mom's into some really, _really_ weird stuff."

"You've never told us this story," Leon said.

"For good reason!" Ingrid said.

"I didn't actually _see_ anything," Astor continued, "but I walked by their room and their stupid door was cracked open and all I hear is, 'lick it. I want you to lick it.'"

The group awaited the rest of the story in perfect silence.

"'I want you to lick my asshole.'"

"Aww, no!" Leon groaned.

"That's just wrong!" Perseus said.

"What the fucking hell, man?" Athena yelled.

"You know," Penny said, "that actually doesn't surprise me. Hollie has always been into weird things. Like, birds pooping on her head."

"What the fuck?" Echo said.

"Yeah, you're not the first person to say that."

"I don't understand all the commotion," Yuan said. "I've walked in on my parents having intercourse. It was no big deal."

"Dude!" Leon said. "What in the world is _wrong_ with you?"

"If two people are in love, it is the natural thing to do, isn't it?"

"Let me take a wild ass guess," Athena said. "When it happened, you just apologized and closed their door, right?"

He nodded.

"That's totally what I expected."

"Thank god I never had to deal with that," Ivory said. "My mother didn't date and I fortunately never walked in on Uncle Whitley and his late wife."

"You guys," Echo began, "can we change the subject? Pretty please?"

"Yes," Ingrid said. "Let's."


	12. Chapter XII

CHAPTER XII

_Chessmasters_

Qrow sat at the very back of the peanut gallery, listening in to the Mistral Council, on which his wife was a sitting member. Winter also attended as an ambassador, a title and role granted to her several weeks back by the Atlas government, a move completely unexpected given the increasing isolation from the country.

_The hell are you planning, Sergei, _Qrow mused as he shifted in his seat.

The discussion shifted to the growing belligerence between Atlas and Vacuo. Two members of the council were in favor of some measure of involvement, but the overwhelming majority opted for non-intervention. Qrow could see the frustration in his wife's demeanor, but she did well to keep it hidden. At least, from the rest of the council. This was his wife. He knew without a doubt when things were bothering her.

When the council adjourned and the members dismissed, only Qrow remained with Winter and Hollie. He joined the two women on the floor.

"You doin' okay, beb?" Qrow said.

Hollie gave him a glance and sighed heavily. "I wish these guys knew what we knew. Funny because half of them actually lived through the war nineteen years ago."

"But they didn't fight in it like we did," Winter said.

"Yeah, I guess."

"I'm still tryin'a wrap my head around this whole ambassador thing," Qrow said to Winter. "Weren't you supposed to be on the run or something?"

"Not officially," she said. "I'm sure they've been keeping an eye on me ever since I got to Mistral last year, but I haven't been promoted to the rank of traitor just yet. I'm officially on paid leave."

"And what about your unit?"

"My executive officer is more than capable. She will keep things running while I'm away."

"No, what I mean is, do you think the country is gonna try and do anything to decrease your power?"

"General Holland likely views me as a potential threat. His first move in the open will be to disband the Schneesturm Specialist Corps officially, moving all of my closest officers into new commissions where they will be completely powerless and splitting up all of my men and pressing them into other units."

"Effectively stripping you of all your power," Hollie said.

"Yes. I don't underestimate my men, however. Those who work in the shadows will likely disappear as soon as such an order is given, to reemerge when a certain signal hits the airwaves."

"I'm guessing that's a signal only you and your most trusted lieutenants know."

"Of course."

"At least _you_ have everything planned out in advance."

"Does this have something to do with your own position?"

Hollie sighed. "I'm not a military leader or anything like that. I'm just a teacher at a Huntsman Academy."

"You hungry?" Qrow asked his wife.

"Kinda. Why?"

"What about you?" he asked Winter.

She read the situation loud and clear and declined politely.

"Looks like it's just you and me for lunch, beb," he said.

"I'll go home ahead of you and get changed and shit," Hollie said, leaving the two behind.

"Will she be all right?" Winter asked Qrow.

"I hope so," he said. "You gonna get into contact with Atlas regarding all this?"

"I have to. Given my position, I don't really have a choice."

"Right. I'll get in touch with Oz later. Say 'yo' to Jimmy for me, yeah?"

—

"And you can confirm these reports?" Oscar said.

"I'm afraid so," Glynda said.

He sighed before heading to the window to look out over the city of Vale. "There's really nothing we can do, is there?"

"About the buildup of military forces in Atlas and in Vacuo? Probably not."

"And the same goes for our own country. We haven't seen a mobilization this large since the war almost twenty years ago."

"Mistral has also declared non-aggression, but the odd thing is the relative quiet over in Menagerie."

"Yes, that has bothered me. I spoke with Queen Belladonna a few days ago and she also vented her frustration with her country's council. It seems all of Menagerie is against the idea of war."

"It's understandable. Their kingdom is officially less than a year old and they have the lowest population and the weakest military force. It would be best to approach the table with economic strategy instead of aggression. The Dust deposits discovered in the central and eastern sections of the continent should provide plenty of negotiating power in that regard."

"I don't think Sergei is in any mood for negotiations. The last time we had contact with him was during the Vytal Festival. He hasn't been taking any of our calls and all of their ambassadors have been pulled from Vale, Vacuo, and Menagerie. Only Winter remains in Mistral."

"Do you think he has any intentions of aligning Atlas with Mistral against Vale and Vacuo again? Just like a hundred years ago?"

"It's a possibility. Or at the very least, keep them out of the fight. Mistral has already declared non-intervention, so if that's the goal, then Sergei has already accomplished it. I do have to admit I'm a bit worried about Leon and Ivory."

"Because of that whole fugitive case a while back?"

"Yes. And every single one of our people is a potential target for assassination if we cause too many problems for them."

She paused for a moment. "I have a feeling you have particular concern for their children."

Oscar sighed heavily. "You've heard what Raven's team has had to say about the matter. And the report that Tai just sent. And all of the other bizarre phenomena around the world. It's not just the impending war that we have on our plate. We're dealing with otherworldly occurrences as well."

"The Labyrinth."

"I wish he were still alive. Even without his power, he at least knew what was going on with all of this. He always had an explanation for these things. I am well-versed in our own world's cosmological order, not that of another world entirely. Whatever paradigm the Labyrinth and all this magic comes from, its nature is not even close to our world."

"Dr. Hillphire and Dr. Cherenkov have been making progress in their studies, though."

"It's still not enough. I doubt any of us can figure things out before something catastrophic happens. We've already dealt with twenty mass vanishings to date, including whole villages and towns that just empty themselves of their people. And given what we know now about Kuroyuri and those Daemons, whatever they are, I fear the worst for our world."

Glynda stood right beside him. "Ozpin, I know you have a lot of doubts these days. After all, things aren't as they once were. But I want you to know that I am always by your side and will continue to be until the end."

He turned to his assistant headmaster, the one whom he could count on to be there when he needed her most. Even if it was for mere morale reasons, she would always be there.

"Thank you, Glynda," he said. "Truth be told, I might need you now more than ever."

—

Neptune leaned back in his chair, sighing heavily. A war was brewing and there was nothing he could do about it. There was no way he was going to suggest to Kronos Jupiter that capitulating to the Schnee Dust Company was the right thing to do. He didn't even believe that himself. After all, appeasement only leads to further encroachments. History has shown that plenty of times in the past.

"I guess we did have a good run, though, didn't we?" he mused.

There was a knock on his door.

"Come in," he said as he sat up.

"Headmaster Vasilias," Orion said as he walked in, shutting the door behind him.

"You really won't drop the formalities ever, will you?"

"It's my way of showing respect to your position."

"I guess I can't argue against that."

"Have you thought about what we discussed?"

"Yeah, I have, actually. You know you'd be the youngest in the history of the academies if we went through with this."

"On the bright side, you'd finally be able to relax."

"Yeah, right, relax? With a war on the horizon?"

"Hence why I made the suggestion."

Neptune sighed. "Yeah, I guess. I can't deny that you were top of your class when you graduated. Hell, I'm pretty sure you were the highest scoring in the strategies and tactics categories in the history of our academy."

"It was one of the fields in which our country was quite lacking compared to the other kingdoms, which is why I pursued them with much more rigor than the rest of my subjects."

"Hmm. Do you really think you've got the chops? You know it's not just the academy you will be leading. You'll be in charge of an entire country."

"I know. I am aware of the burden I will be taking and I accept it."

"If that's the case, then sure. We'll make the announcement at the end of the school year."

"What about you? What will you do once you step down?"

"I'm a Huntsman. I'll go back to doing what I do best. Hunt for the hearts of maidens."

Orion sighed heavily.

"In all seriousness," Neptune laughed, "I'll probably go back to teaching classes."

"On how to win hearts?"

"You know me so well, Orion!"

—

"Master Whitley," Klein said as he entered Whitley's office. "The coffee you requested."

"Thank you, Klein," Whitley said, gesturing for him to enter.

"You seem preoccupied, sir."

"You've been watching the news, too, haven't you?"

"I have."

"Do you think we'll really go to war?"

"It is a certainty at this point. With the curfew that has been in place since last year and the sudden increase in wartime production, we are most definitely going to war."

Whitley let out a heavy sigh, ruminating for a while before taking a sip of the coffee, the same blend that Ivory enjoyed so much. The sound of excited laughter grew louder and louder until the door burst open and all three of his children piled through. He set down his mug in anticipation of the assault, catching Finn and Bianca as they jumped into his lap.

"Papa!" they both repeated over and over again.

"I am terribly sorry, Master Whitley!" one of the maids said as she panted in the doorway mid-curtsey. "I tried to stop them, but—"

"Don't worry about it, Mildred," Whitley chuckled, holding his children close. "Gwen, where are you?"

"Over here, father," she said, curtseying from beside his chair.

"No need to be so formal when it's just us."

The youngest smiled before pulling a nearby chair to sit next to him.

"She takes after the late mistress, does she not?" Klein said.

"She does," Whitley said. "So much."

"Okay, children," Mildred said, "you've all got to study before you can play with your father."

"Aww!" Finn and Bianca said together as they lazily slid down to the floor.

"Very well, Mildred," Gwen said, returning her chair.

"You see, _that_ is how a proper lady behaves," Mildred said.

The youngest curtseyed and the two elder children responded by sticking out their tongues.

"How mature," Gwen said.

Whitley couldn't help but smile as his children headed to the door. "Wait," he said, getting up and following after them. He knelt on the ground. "Come here."

All three ran to him and the whole family shared in one giant embrace.

"Papa, is something wrong?" Bianca asked him.

"No," he said, stifling the tears. He couldn't let his youngsters see them just yet. "Everything is fine. Papa will take care of everything."

"Okay."

"You kids be good, all right? Don't give Mildred and the others a hard time."

"I gotta be ready to show off my glyphs when Ivory comes back from her mission!" Finn said, excitedly summoning small glyphs in either hand.

"Exactly."

"Me, too!" Bianca said, showing off her own glyphs, which weren't as stable or sharp as her big brother's glyphs. "Aww!" she said as both of them flickered out.

"It's okay sis!" Finn said. "We can practice together!"

"Yay!"

Gwen curtseyed as they all left the room together.

"They sure grow up fast, don't they, Master Whitley?" Klein said.

"They do," he said. "We still have more of those coffee beans Ivory had specially ordered, yes?"

"We do, sir."

"Set some aside."

"For?"

"She will return home eventually. I don't want her coming back to an empty pantry."

"Very well, sir."

—

Hillphire stood in front of all the data before him. He had just gotten off the line with Ariadne and Dr. Cherenkov discussing all of the information both parties had been gathering about the Labyrinth. There were still so many unanswered questions, such as the very origin of such a world, what sustains its physicality, and its relation to all of the events occurring all around Remnant, including the mass disappearances, the skyrocketing mental illnesses, and, more worryingly, the relation of these "Daemon" creatures to the Labyrinth.

"You took a shower recently, right?" Yang said from the doorway, her nose pinched.

"Huh?" Hillphire said. "Oh, yes. I haven't been here for a week straight, if that's what you're asking."

"Oh, thank gods." She walked over to his workbench. "Damn, that's a lot of shit to go through."

"Yeah. Apparently, they encountered another Daemon in Vacuo's Labyrinth, one by the name of Ashtaroth."

"So two confirmed, Ashtaroth and Moloch, which the kids encountered over at Echo's hometown south of Vale."

"This is quite disconcerting. How many of them are there, I wonder? And what exactly is their endgame?"

"From what the kids say, that Moloch guy was pretty tough. Even took Penny's arm. And the one that Yuan fought in Kuroyuri only left because he had another really important thing to do."

"That's another thing that worries me. They seem to be connected to those Nexus activations all around the planet. To date, there have been eleven of them, each one accompanied by cataclysms, whether mass disappearances, mass hysteria, natural disasters, all sorts of unexplainable events."

"Didn't Ruby say there was a Nexus activation over in Vacuo, too?"

"Yes. Apparently, right in the middle of the Jupiter Manor."

"But that wasn't accompanied by any mass disappearances aside from everybody in the house getting sucked into the Labyrinth."

"No, but there have been plenty of unnatural weather patterns in Vacuo. You know it snowed there this winter, don't you?"

"Wow."

"And they've also been getting unnatural amounts of rain. Apparently broke all of the records from before."

"Take that, climate change deniers."

Hillphire stared at her wryly and she chuckled.

"In all seriousness," Hillphire began, "have you been experiencing anything unusual?"

"You mean after the thing?" Yang said.

"Yes."

"Nope. It's been months and everything's fine. Honestly, I expected some pretty crazy shit and bad juju to come along with it, but I'm surprised nobody's died yet. Knock on wood."

They both knocked on his desk.

"Then again," Hillphire said, "we did have the help of the man who originated the whole thing."

"Yeah, true. Ugh, it's still so weird to think of Oscar as Ozpin. And he's so different from the guy we got to know in the beginning now that they've completely integrated."

"Such is the nature of magic. There's so much we don't understand about any of it."

"I'm gonna go secure the perimeter with my mom. We'll be right next door so you don't have to worry about a thing."

"Oh, I'm not worried," he said, drawing his sword, which could transform into a battle axe if necessary.

Yang chuckled, giving him a thumb up as she left the Forge.

—

It was afternoon when Qrow returned to the manor to pick up his wife for that lunch they had agreed on. He had expected her to be waiting for him down in the foyer already, but she was nowhere to be found.

"Beb?" he said aloud, receiving no answer.

He wandered around the ground level for a while, looking for her in all the places she usually hung out. He ultimately found her in the garden at the back of the manor, where artificial streams and ponds littered the landscape along with massive trees that provided shade almost everywhere. She was at the very back, leaning against the banister overlooking the valley behind Mistral, where a few settlements dotted the riverbanks as far as the eye could see.

"Hollie?" he said, stopping several feet behind her.

She let out a heavy sigh. "What the hell am I doing, Qrow?" she muttered.

"What do you mean?"

"I wasn't made for all this. I'm just a singer. Hell, I wanted to be a teacher, not the headmaster of an entire academy, and definitely not one of the leaders of a friggin' _country_."

He walked up to her side, standing inches away from her, ready to listen to everything she had to say, which clearly was a lot given the tears streaming down her face.

"God, I can't even get any of the other council members on my side. And now we're looking at a war that's probably gonna kill millions of people again just like the Great War of a hundred years ago and our children are gonna be the ones to fight in the damn thing and they shouldn't even have to. Why the hell did I ever get into all this?"

"Because you actually gave a shit," Qrow said.

She turned to him.

"You were one of the few who gave a damn about what happened to the world, while everybody else was interested only in politics and money."

"Yeah, look at all the good _I've _managed to do."

"Exactly. You _have_ managed to do a ton of good."

"Like what, huh?"

"All the curriculum changes you made to the school for starters. It was your idea to reintroduce the arts and god damn has it made a difference in morale. You were also the one who first reached out to Blake to sign trade agreements with Menagerie, remember? And it was you who brought up to the council all of the different infrastructure overhauls and retrofits that have improved the lives of millions of people. Hell, the _snowplows_ were your idea."

"Psh. That was all luck."

"Nah. It wasn't luck. It's cuz you're so damn stubborn."

"Fuck you."

He laughed. "I mean that in a good way. Don't you remember how you hammered away at the council until they finally saw your way and voted almost unanimously in favor of expanding the city walls? Or how you kept pestering them to prioritize building the water reservoirs _correctly_ as opposed to quickly?"

She sighed heavily.

"You've done great this past decade. Don't sell yourself short."

"Then, why the hell do I feel so lost?"

"Probably because we've got a war on our hands. But it's not just you. We _all_ have to deal with it. After all, war is everybody's business."

"Our boy is gonna get thrown into all that mess that we had to deal with almost twenty years ago."

"I used to tell myself that all the time. But the truth is, they're all involved in something much worse already."

"The Labyrinth."

"I told him there was no way I was letting him go with Team LILY and APEX. But now that I really think about it, maybe I'm being unfair."

"No. Nah-uh. You totally made the right decision not to let him in that place. One hundred percent."

"I had a feeling you'd say that, and I still stand by what I did. But at the same time, part of me wonders. What if I just prevented him from being prepared for it?"

Hollie let out another heavy sigh.

"Let's go get some barbecue," Qrow said. "That'll cheer you up."

"You think you can bribe me with food?"

"Yup."

She pouted. "Well, you're right."

He chuckled. "Let's go, then."

"Ugh, I hate you sometimes."


	13. Chapter XIII

CHAPTER XIII

_Everything Will Be All Right_

Penny stood up after Xanthus and Hillphire finished attaching her new leg. She moved it around, hopping on it a few times before taking a deep breath and letting it out all at once.

"I think everything's working right," she said.

"Balance is good?" Hillphire said.

"Yup."

"Sensory feedback is optimal?"

"I can feel the cold, the heat, pressure, every little thing."

"Wiggle your toes for me?"

She did exactly that as Hillphire took her foot in his hands, making sure everything was working perfectly. She giggled as he handled her foot.

"Wait," Xanthus said. "Does that tickle?"

"Yeah," she chuckled.

"Everything about her body might be manmade," Hillphire began, "but one hundred percent mimics human flesh. Hence why she bleeds when cut."

"It's white blood, though," she said.

"Eventually, we'll find a way to increase the oxygenation of red colored blood. For now, however, we're forced to continue using this extremely oxygen-rich blood, particularly because her musculoskeletal system is far more taxing than any normal person's. She does use combat-grade synthetic muscle and bone structure, after all. Even with her aura gone, she would still be capable of withstanding a lot more damage than you or I ever could."

"Right," Xanthus said.

"Could you check the sutures for me?" Hillphire said as he took notes.

"S-Sure."

The youngster could scarcely control the redness on his face as he closely examined the attachment point around her thigh.

"Th-The scars are healing well."

"Good," Hillphire said. "Your aura isn't rejecting the new leg."

"The scar on my upper arm is already gone, too," Penny said.

"I did notice that before," Xanthus said, pushing up his eyeglasses. "I've been meaning to ask. How were you able to get her aura to interact with the rest of her body? We know that aura, as an outward manifestation of our souls, also facilitates healing and all that, but how does this work with what is essentially artificial flesh?"

"That's the thing," Hillphire said. "This is artificial flesh, but flesh nonetheless. It is what I call hyper-organic matter. The biology behind it is quite simple, really. You take the fundamental building blocks of organic matter and engineer it to the degree that it is much tougher than normal flesh and bone, yet still retains all organic properties, such as healing factor, immunity, and even its susceptibility to bacterial infection, though that's a bit less of a concern given the high immune factor afforded by Penny's white blood."

"And that's why the white blood is necessary."

"Precisely. Hyper-organic matter requires hyper blood, so to speak."

"How many calories do you have to consume daily?"

"Well," Penny began, "I can run exclusively off of the Dust reactors behind my heart and in my lower abdomen, but if I wanted to decrease their output and run off of organic nutrients instead, maybe about...twenty thousand calories a day?"

"I believe that's correct," Hillphire said.

Meanwhile, Xanthus's jaw dropped. "T-Twenty thousand calories?" he all but yelled. "_Daily_?"

"That's assuming her physical activity is not overly strenuous. If she's in combat mode for an extended period, that could rise as high as fifty thousand daily, but there are much greater concerns if she's in long-term combat mode. Like any human, really."

"That's why I usually run off the reactors," Penny said. "Cuz it gets really expensive having to eat all that food."

"R-Right," Xanthus said, imagining the massive banquet that such a daily caloric intake would have to necessitate.

Penny went over to another service bay, which would run automatic system checks on her entire chassis and the overlaying artificial muscle and other tissues. Hillphire silently gestured to Xanthus to follow him.

"I have something to show you," he said in a near-whisper.

Xanthus's eyes opened wide as he looked at the blueprint of a new heart, one whose schematics showed impressive pumping power along with high durability and efficiency, perfect for keeping up with an intense musculoskeletal system.

"This is!" Xanthus began.

"Keep it down!" Hillphire shushed. "She doesn't know about this yet."

"This is for her?"

He nodded. "So far, out of everything she's got, her heart is still one of the less-human things in her body. After all, I couldn't come up with any organic hearts that could keep up with the demands of the rest of her body, but I just recently made a breakthrough and I think this is it."

"This is amazing. It looks like you've got the muscle fiber patterns perfect and the structure is close enough to the real thing, although it seems you had to make adjustments to the geometry of the actual heart."

"Yes, the ventricles are much more powerful compared to normal human hearts given what it has to do for her."

"You're a genius, Dr. Hillphire."

He smiled sheepishly.

"What are you two boys whispering about?" Penny said, walking toward them.

"Um!" Hillphire said, quickly shutting down the monitor and turning around to face her along with Xanthus.

"Nothing!" Xanthus said.

"Yes! Nothing! We were just, uh, sharing ideas about..."

"About our next science experiment!"

"Yes! That!"

"You two are being very suspicious," Penny said, squinting at them. "And also very vague. Uncharacteristically vague. Which makes you even more suspicious."

"I-It's," Xanthus began.

"We're," Hillphire also failed to continue.

"I get it, I get it," Penny sighed. "It's a guy thing."

"Yes!" both men said at once. "I mean, no!"

"I mean!" Hillphire said.

"We weren't being lewd!" Xanthus said.

"Why would you bring _that_ up?" Hillphire demanded.

"B-Because! We were already accused of being lewd not too long ago when the guys decided to overstay our hot springs session and—"

"Wait, what? Y-You all bathed together?"

Penny chuckled. "We did. Actually, it was all Ivory's idea to go to the resort in the first place and her idea to stay overnight and also she was the one to agree with the whole unisex thing since it would be pretty lame for the group to be split in half because of some arbitrary policy."

The two boys didn't answer.

"Why are the both of you so red?" Penny laughed.

"Oh, wait a minute," Hillphire began, putting a hand to his chin. "This was the day you were still running off of your temp leg, wasn't it?"

"Yeah."

He smiled. "Well. I'm glad you're no longer ashamed of your body."

She smiled back. "It's funny. I'm supposed to be their instructor, and yet _I'm _the one learning from _them_."

"Isn't that how it always works?"

—

It was midday when Leon went for a walk around Haven Academy's dorm. It had been a few days since their last incursion into the Labyrinth. The two team leaders had agreed with the adults that the break was necessary, particularly because of Yuan's Wraith-Knight being overworked to the point of going dormant while they were still in the other world. They hadn't thought anything of it then, but in retrospect, that could have been disastrous.

He eventually left the dorms and began wandering around the main campus. Leon looked around at the students milling about, some of them studying for exams while others did some light practice with their weapons. The culture here in Mistral was so different from back in Vale, which was always so bustling. Here, there was a stillness that he couldn't quite get used to, though it was certainly refreshing. There was a group of students in one corner of the courtyard, three teams if he counted correctly, all of them meditating in unison, perfectly frozen like statues. He scratched his head, wondering if it was even possible for him to sit so still and so quiet for longer than five seconds.

He continued his adventure, eventually coming upon the enormous cherry blossom garden, which served as the main promenade that led to the academy's administrative building. He noticed a familiar figure standing atop the middle of an arching wooden bridge over a small stream off the stone path. She leaned over the guardrails, looking down into the artificial pond below. He sauntered over to her with his hands in his pockets, taking note of the contrast between her pale blue dress and the pink cherry blossoms overhead.

"Enjoying the koi fish?" he said, leaning against the guard rail directly behind her.

Ivory looked at him over her shoulder before turning back to the pond. "We don't have anything like this at Atlas Academy," she began, "as you saw during your invasion."

He chuckled. "Invasion?"

"Yes."

He tilted his head to the other side. She was in spring clothing today, a powder blue dress which bared her shoulders and fell just past her knees. Her snow-white hair fell freely across her back except for two locks, which were tied together in the middle before continuing down in a single braid. A small blue flower sat in her hair just above her ear.

"Are you going to continue checking me out?" she said without turning to him.

"Maybe."

She faced him with a sour look.

"Sorry, I just," he began, getting up off his guard rail and joining her at her side. "I never thought you would ever dress like this of your own free will."

Her demeanor softened as she turned back to the pond to watch the koi fish swim around.

"You're even wearing a flower in your hair. Since when did this happen?"

She didn't answer.

"Not that you have to justify anything you do or anything. I just noticed the change, that's all."

She caught the smile that wanted to form on her face, denying it access. There was no way she would allow Leon any satisfaction just yet.

"Honestly," he began, leaning over and looking down at the koi fish swimming all around, some of them peeking through the surface of the water, maybe out of curiosity or perhaps hunger. "I forgot what I was gonna say. Oh, I remember. You should wear more outfits like that."

"Why?" Ivory began, "because it reminds you of Lilly?"

He shook his head. "Lilly's Lilly and you're you. I just think this brings out another side of you the rest of us don't get to see very often. And, like, you're our team leader right now. I think you should...I dunno, open up to us a little more? I don't have to tell you this, but you're not very expressive and, I guess, it's kinda refreshing to see you crack a smile every now and then or laugh or dress in things other than military uniforms and tactical gear."

She rested her forearms on top of the guard rail, leaning forward until her chin touched her arms.

"See? Like that. I don't think I ever get to see you so relaxed, like, at all. I just think it's nice to see a side of you that isn't trying to wear a mask every moment of the day."

"A mask, huh?"

"Yeah. And besides, masks are for shy people. Honestly, there's no need for you be so...koi."

She sighed, closing her eyes momentarily before looking back out over the pond. She wasn't looking at him directly, but out of the corner of her eye, she could see that irritating grin he so frequently wore.

"I'm going to throw you into the water," she said flatly, still looking out over the pond.

"With cement shoes? Eh? Eh?"

She sighed again.

"Just make sure you leave the gun and take the cannoli, eh?"

She looked over at him. His grin looked more stupid now than ever before. She reached for Elfenbein and he slowly backed away.

"Hey! No violence in the garden!"

"Hmph. I don't even need my weapon to deal with you." She held up a hand, forming a glyph.

"Uhh!"

"The hell are you two up to?" Athena said, her hands on her hips.

"Athena!" Leon said before teleporting behind her.

"What the?" She swatted away the falling rose petals before looking over at Ivory, who had the deadpan look down to an art form. "Oh. I see. Want me to move?"

"Please," Ivory said.

"Ahh!" Leon yelled before teleporting up to a tree.

"Dude, I swear," Athena said, looking up at her brother. "You deserve every single thing she throws at you."

"You don't even know what I did!" he said.

"I don't have to know what you did to know you're annoying."

"That's not fair! You make the same puns Aunt Yang makes just like me!"

"Puns?"

"Yeah! There's koi fish swimming in the pond so I told Ivory she doesn't need to be so koi around us cuz we're her team and her friends!"

A smirk slowly grew on Athena's face. She turned to Ivory, who immediately sighed before putting a palm to her forehead.

"I think I can understand why Ingrid is always so exasperated with you two," she said. "It's a terribly fortunate thing that you're not on the same team."

"You think that's bad," Ingrid's voice sounded from up in the trees, "try growing up with those two and Astor."

"I wouldn't mind that," Echo said, her voice also coming from the trees.

"Well, duh, you're in love with Athena."

"Am I hearing voices?" Perseus said as he, Yuan, and Astor joined the gathering.

"Is the pretty kitty gonna need us to rescue her from the trees?" Astor said with a huge grin.

Ingrid sighed before hopping out of her tree and landing beside Ivory. Echo also joined them on the ground, touching down next to Athena.

"Where's Leon?" Yuan said.

"Somewhere safe!" he yelled from his perch.

Ivory sighed before projecting a glyph behind him that knocked him from his branch. He yelled before teleporting behind Ingrid and playing with her ears. The only Faunus on the team shrieked before drawing Shadow Blitz and attempting to strike him with it, but he quickly teleported to the guys.

"Why are you involving us in your battle?" Astor yelled as he, Perseus, and Leon scattered in the wake of Ingrid's onslaught.

"I'm gonna kill all of you!" Ingrid screamed.

"I didn't even do anything!" Perseus whined.

"I do apologize for the boys' behavior," Yuan said, standing next to Ivory.

"I'm glad _you_ have some maturity, Yuan Ren," she said, watching Ingrid chase after the other three. "Where's Xanthus, by the way? I thought he might be with you when you joined us."

"I think he said he would be at the Forge," Athena said, her scroll out. "Oh, he just replied."

Xanthus: _I apologize for the late text Athena, but I will be joining you shortly._

Xanthus: _I just needed to assist Dr. Hillphire with a few things._

Echo: _r u with penny?_

There was some time before he replied.

Xanthus: _Yes, I am with her._

Echo: (͡ ͡° ͜ つ ͡͡°)

Leon: _dude wtf is that?_

Perseus: _how are u typing those?_

Echo: (ᵔᴥᵔ)

"No, seriously," Ingrid said, "how the heck are you typing that?"

"I don't even have that shit on my keyboard!" Leon said.

Xanthus: (ง'̀-'́)ง

Echo: ( ▀ ͜͞ʖ▀)

Leon: _SRSLY HOW THE FCK ARE U GUYS DOING THAT_

Perseus: _WAT HE SAID_

Echo couldn't help but giggle, dodging both Leon and Perseus as they tried to peek at her scroll.

"Are you using Lenny faces?" Athena asked Echo, who nodded quickly as she continued to evade the two boys. "Oh, that's why all I see are squares. I need to update my stupid firmware."

"Lenny faces?" Ingrid said.

"Oh, I think that's them," Yuan said, looking down the promenade.

Penny: _what are_ _u guys doing_

Penny:_ ?_

Echo: _haviin fun_

Echo: _i guess_

Echo: ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

"Dude," Leon said, looking at his scroll again.

"Maybe we need to download something," Yuan said.

"I do not appreciate your implications, Echo Atalante!" Xanthus said as he and Penny joined the group.

Echo hid behind her scroll as she continued to gleefully text her own group, which consisted only of Athena and Ingrid.

Echo: _guys do u think theyre going out?_

Athena: _probs_

Ingrid: _yeah_

Echo: \ (•◡•) /

Ingrid: _srsly tho_

Ingrid: _wtf is that_

Athena: _lenny face_

Ingrid: _wtf is a lenny face_

Athena: _just search it up lol_

"So," Penny said. "What's everybody doing?"

"We haven't really decided on anything," Ivory said. "Mostly I was just here enjoying the koi fish when Leon invaded my space and started to annoy me."

"Psh!" he scoffed.

"He does that," Penny said.

"Yeah, he does," Ingrid said.

Echo nodded silently, still texting away.

"How 'bout a run through the woods?" Penny said. "And then some ramen for dinner afterwards."

"That sounds like fun," Astor said. "There's this spot my team and I used to go to before they ditched me to join the rest of our kind back at Menagerie."

"I forget that you're a Faunus," Ivory said.

"Yup. Mom's got the ears, but I got a thing that's a lot easier to hide so I can pass as human."

"What would that be?"

He balled his fists before opening them back up, revealing lion-like claws that extended from where his fingernails should have been.

"I see."

"Yeah, I'm one of the lucky ones since my genes don't show on the outside."

There was a distant explosion and the group looked around, scattering to see where it came from.

"Echo!" Athena yelled.

The group's archer hopped up to a tree before climbing up the CCTS tower to get the highest vantage point she could find. She looked off to the distance. Smoke rose from several buildings at the edge of the city.

"Are you seeing it, too, Echo?" Ingrid's voice sounded in her headset.

"Yeah," she replied. "I think that's...Hillphire Innovations?"

"Liam!" Penny yelled before breaking into a dash.


	14. Chapter XIV

CHAPTER XIV

_No Roses without Thorns_

Lilly sighed as she struggled with one of the questions on the exam. She knew the answer to this. She just couldn't decide whether the best answer was C or D.

_It's D._

She bubbled in D.

_Just kidding. It's C._

"Ugh," Lilly groaned before erasing her answer and changing it to C.

_You were actually right the first time._

"I hate you."

"Please, no talking during the examination," Dr. Cherenkov said.

"S-Sorry!"

The rest of the exam was excruciating. If Lilith wasn't actively trying to distract her, she was chatting incessantly about absolute nonsense.

_I mean, seriously. We should try some darker colors instead of all the whites and blues. Like, I think it would look really good to try black colors and stuff cuz it does look pretty awesome sometimes. Although I guess the usual colors do go better with our skin tone. I think we're too pale to rock the black all the time, but I gotta say, the last time I was out and about in the sun, I think I rocked the black and red really good._

"Time's up," Dr. Cherenkov said.

Lilly sprang out of her seat, running straight to the front of the room. Her hands shook as she placed her exam on the professor's table.

"Lilly, are you all right?" he said. "You seem a bit stressed."

"Just a little," Lilly said, struggling to drown out the chatter in her own head. "I mean, advanced particle physics and Th-Thaumatology is pretty tough subject matter, you know!"

Dr. Cherenkov chuckled. "It seems you're having a lot of fun with the class, though."

"I have a friend back at Beacon who I think would find it a lot more fun, to be honest. I mean, I mostly find this interesting because it has something to do with me a bit you know?"

"Sure. Enjoy the rest of your day."

"See you down at the lab later!"

_I'm hungry_.

"Shut up!" Lilly whispered as she grabbed her things before hurrying out of the class.

_You really gotta stop talking to yourself like this. People are staring, you know._

"It's your fault!"

_Huh? How's it my fault?_

"Because you won't shut up!"

_Psh. Look, I'm bored as fuck in here, okay? And besides, nobody's forcing you to have a conversation with me._

"You sound like you wanna have a conversation!"

_I mean, I did say I was bored, so if you wanna talk, sure. I mean, if you don't mind people watching you._

"Lilith, please!"

_Please what?_

"Ugh!"

_C'mon, dude, let's get something to eat._

"I hate you. I really hate you."

"Hey, Lilly," Ariadne said as she and Demetri caught up with her in the halls.

"Oh, hi!" Lilly said, turning around to face her friends.

"You seem a bit distracted lately," Demetri said.

"J-Just a bit, I think. You know those days when you just can't sit still cuz something's bugging you? Like a fly buzzing in your ear the whole day?"

_I'm not a fly, you bitch!_

"Yes, I have that from time to time myself," Ariadne said.

_Hey! Don't ignore me!_

"Yeah, I've kinda got that going on right now," Lilly said.

"Are you hungry?" Demetri asked.

_Yes!_

"Yes!" Lilly said. "Let's go eat!"

"What were you thinking?" Ariadne said.

_Spaghetti!_

"Kebabghetti!" Lilly said.

"I'm sorry?" Demetri said.

"K-Kebabs! I just, uh, thought about spaghetti at the same time so I kinda put the words together although I wonder if anybody makes fusion cuisine like that around here."

"Spaghetti does sound good, though," Ariadne said. "There's a very good pasta place nearby if you're interested."

_Yes! Spaghetti!_

"No," Lilly said sternly. "Let's go for some kebabs."

"Oh. Okay, then."

_No! You asshole! I want spaghetti!_

Demetri and Ariadne looked at each other as Lilly angrily led the way down the hall.

"She seems really determined to have kebabs just now," Ariadne said.

"I think it was more determination to _not_ have pasta, to be honest," Demetri said.

"Yes, I'm getting that vibe as well."

—

"Should we follow them?" Jaune said.

"Yeah," Ruby said. "We haven't seen anything yet, but I know her Wraith is in there somewhere. I'm willing to bet that's why she's been acting weird for the past week."

"Same here, but don't you think it's kinda weird? Bedivere's relationship with his Wraith was way more, I guess disastrous than what we're seeing here. What if it's not the same thing?"

"I know. I've thought about that, too. It's just that, I mean, you saw the monitors. You saw what I saw in the Labyrinth itself. That power was way too dark to be something we can just dismiss."

"You're not wrong. Still, let's observe more instead of doing anything rash."

"Are you calling me reckless?"

"I didn't say that. And besides, nobody's as reckless as Nora."

They shared a chuckle.

"Well, I _am_ kinda hungry myself," Ruby said. "We can eat while following them."

—

_You're a dick, Lilly._

"Hmph," she replied.

_I hate kebabs. You suck ass._

"Takes one to know one, I guess."

"Hmm?" Demetri said. "Did you say something?"

"Just talking to myself."

_Hah._

"Ah, here we are," Ariadne said. "The lines are not very long, fortunately for us."

"What are we all getting?" Demetri said.

Lilly examined the menu before deciding on the chicken and beef combo with rice and pita bread. It was a bigger plate than she normally ordered, but for some strange reason she was much hungrier than usual. Perhaps it was the presence of Lilith in her mind that drove her energy consumption through the roof. Or maybe it was the energy drain of having to deal with her incessant chatter.

_I don't understand how you can eat this._

Lilly ignored her other half as she squeezed limes over her food.

"I'm glad Vacuo has such a large and diverse selection of cuisines," Demetri said. "I'd say it's even more diverse than the selections back in Vale."

"Was it not as varied in Atlas?" Ariadne asked.

He shook his head. "Atlas cuisine is one of two things, very high class or very cheap. Don't get me wrong. The expensive stuff is quite delicious, but after years of eating high quality steaks and the like, it starts to feel somewhat hollow. For example, we have no such thing as ramen or pho back in Atlas. And kebab places are quite rare. Cured meats are common, however."

"Burger joints are the best," Lilly said, biting into a pita bread sandwich she had made.

_Oh, something we can agree on._

"The first time I had burgers with my team back at Beacon Academy was quite the experience," Demetri said. "Paolo knew of a place at the edge of Vale, not that far from the school. I must say that I did not know until that time what it meant to bite into a juicy beef patty like that, overflowing with grilled onions and cheese and mushrooms."

"That sounds delish!"

"It sounds incredibly high-calorie," Ariadne said.

"I believe it was Theo who called it 'heart attack on a plate'," Demetri said. "Oh, the onion rings were quite delectable as well. I didn't know until that day that something as simple as onions dipped in batter and deep fried would taste so amazing."

_Oh, my god, he's making me hungry._

"So," Lilly began, "we doing Lab work today?"

"Lab?" Demetri said.

"She means Labyrinth," Ariadne said.

"Oh. Right. If you feel rested, you can count me in."

"I will send text messages to Dr. Cherenkov and Mr. and Mrs. Arc-Rose."

_Home, sweet home._

—

Orion carefully studied the charts and diagrams Ariadne and Dr. Cherenkov had put together over the last months. There was still no word on why a Nexus suddenly appeared in the middle of their manor last year. They were lucky to have barely rescued his parents from the Labyrinth, although that was more due to Lilly's intervention than anything else.

"Hey, bro," Dionysus said, walking up to him.

"What are you doing down here?" Orion said. "It's unusual of you to involve yourself in academic pursuits."

"Uh, Labyrinth work isn't exactly totally academic, you know. I mean, we went in as _muscle_ that one time."

"Yes, which was incredibly foolish on our parts, considering we don't have the necessary magic to keep from being disintegrated by the forces in that other world."

"Anyway, no idea yet on what the hell happened to our house?"

He shook his head. "Our staff were never found either."

"So, the usual Labyrinth crap."

"Yes."

"What are you two doing here?" Ariadne said as she led the way into the Rift Complex control room. Behind her were Lilly's whole team.

"Just wanted to say hi," Dionysus said.

"Dr. Cherenkov will be here shortly," Orion said. "You still haven't figured out the reason for the Nexus appearance at our home, have you?"

"Unfortunately not," Ariadne said. "And I think it's a good thing we've kept the place cordoned off, even if a 'gas leak' isn't really all that convincing an excuse, to be honest."

"I guess we can't just go around saying that a chaotic magical phenomenon has taken over the place, huh?" Jaune chuckled.

"Dionysus, come and help me get the gear for Lilly and her team," Orion said.

"Fine, fine," Dionysus said, following his older brother out of the room.

"You've had a whole week off," Ariadne began, "so it's given me plenty of time to locate targets for you. Three new heavy distortions have appeared on the LabNav, all of them in quite close proximity to one another. One of the distortions may be a combined Labyrinth, since it covers one of the city's psychiatric hospitals to the north. I sent a drone in and it sent back evidence of a severe time distortion along with massive gravitational anomalies. Your magic and the reality anchors we've given everyone in the team should help to stave off the distortion, however."

"Reality anchors?" Ruby said. "Is that what you're calling those rubies with runes inscribed?"

"Yes. I believe that is the most appropriate name for them."

"It makes sense," Jaune said. "They literally do anchor us in our own stable reality, right?"

"Precisely. The mechanism is very close to how Lilly asserts her own reality around her body. For some reason, this power also manifested itself in the form of a rune, whose characteristics are amplified by gemstones in different ways, depending on the gem itself. Rubies seem to amplify the effect of runes."

"Okay, here's your guys' backpacks," Dionysus said, setting two heavy packs on a table.

"There are enough supplies in here for an extended incursion," Orion began, "but there's no need to get reckless. If you need to return to the real world to re-supply or just rest, do so without hesitation."

"All right," Jaune said, strapping himself in. He and Ruby glanced over at Lilly. She hadn't spoken since they set foot in the underground Rift Complex.

"Lead the way," Demetri said to his team leader.

Lilly sighed heavily before she marched out of the control room straight into the middle of the Rift Chamber.

_I haven't missed the smell of this place, _Lilith mused as the world shifted around them. They had descended straight into the Second Layer of the Labyrinth.

"Ariadne, do you copy?" Demetri said into his microphone.

"Yes," she said. "I have you in the Second Layer."

"Okay, good. I don't know why we dropped straight into this layer from the outset, but there are no monsters here at the moment, so we'll be heading out to the city."

"Keep me updated."

Lilly led the way out of Shade Academy, walking through the foggy streets of Vacuo with Myrtenaster in hand. Lilith was much less talkative since they arrived in this world and she took notice of it.

"Corrupted," Demetri said, pointing to a shadow not too far away from them.

"Should we engage or evade?" Jaune said.

Lilly thought about engaging when she remembered what Lilith had revealed to her during their confrontation. She had no desire to kill any of the souls lost to the Labyrinth.

"Evade," Lilly said. "There's no need to waste energy unnecessarily."

"Agreed," Demetri said, following her lead.

Lilly wondered how long she could keep hidden the truth about those monsters. It wouldn't be long before the team noticed her refusal to kill any of the Corrupted they encountered along the way. And although she did not stop her teammates from killing them, merely watching their weapons tear through their flesh similarly tore away at her own heart.

_Lilly. Why the hell do you keep beating yourself up about this?_

She didn't answer.

_I told you already that there's really nothing you can do about them. They're Corrupted for a reason. This is the form they take in this world when their innermost guilt, pain, desires—everything—overtakes them and they fall prey to their own despair._

"I won't murder them," she said quietly.

_Don't think of it as murder, dude. Call it...putting them out of their misery. Like, literally._

"No! You're wrong! I can still save them!"

Jaune and Ruby looked over at her.

_You're getting people's attention, you know._

"Mom said that _everyone_ is worthy of salvation. And I believe that. I'll find a way to save them. Somehow."

"Lilly, are you okay?" Ruby said.

"I'm fine—"

"Lilly!" Demetri yelled, running to her.

She turned to face a Corrupted, which was stomping in her direction. She held up Myrtenaster to fight against it, but her reservations toward killing them were too strong and the monster tackled her to the ground, scratching away at her. She screamed through the pain as her aura shattered. Demetri only barely managed to intervene, kicking the monster off before pummeling it to death.

"Lilly!" he yelled, running to her side.

"I-I'm okay," she grunted, accepting his hand and standing back up. Her clothes were torn in multiple locations, blood dripping to the concrete.

"Guys!" Jaune yelled, leading Ruby back to the group. "We got company! Lots of company!"

Lilly pulled herself together, facing the incoming horde of Corrupted as they descended to the Third Layer of the Labyrinth, the fog and daytime giving way to pure darkness. Each team member activated chemical lights to illuminate their surroundings, but given the nature of light in this world, sound was a much better indicator of danger.

"Lilly," Demetri said as Ruby and Jaune engaged the surrounding Corrupted. "You're not yourself. Let's return to base."

"No," she insisted. "I'm fine."

Demetri knew that to be a lie. After all, she had yet to heal her wounds. The gashes on her flesh were deep and so he figured her Water Rune might not be able to fix things right away, but it seemed she didn't even put any effort into healing herself.

"I'm going to bandage you up," Demetri said, digging through his pack. "I don't know what's going on with your magic right now, but—"

"No, I'm..."

"Lilly?"

Another Corrupted leaped toward them and Demetri fought it off, but there were more. This layer had a greater density of these things. It was likely that they were completely surrounded right now.

"Demetri! Lilly!" Ruby yelled.

Lilly put her hands to her head, dropping Myrtenaster to the ground. "I...can't..." she groaned. "These...people...they..."

"Lilly!" Demetri yelled. His hands were full with a monster and he had no way of reaching his comrade.

Just as the Corrupted came upon Lilly, her mind seemed to straighten away. She let out a heavy sigh, looking directly at the monster, her light-brown hazel eyes transforming, as though a golden halo of fire emerged from her pupils outward, a power born from another world making itself manifest before everyone.

A massive barrier born from a Shield Rune erected between her and the attacking Corrupted, completely blocking its path like a translucent plate of unbreakable glass. Simultaneously, a Water Rune appeared on the ground below, glowing with its signature blue light as all of her wounds closed up. Her snow-white hair billowed with power that radiated from within as her whole body was blanketed with a black mist that emerged from beneath her feet.

More Corrupted attacked from the darkness, intent on rending the flesh from her bones, but today was the wrong day for their attack. Lilly began to float from the ground, propelled by pure magic that originated from her soul. She held out both hands to her sides, runes appearing on either, before hurling a single fireball and a single frost attack at both attacking Corrupted, incinerating one to ash and freezing the other mid-run so as to send it shattering on the ground.

"What the hell is happening?" Jaune said as a whirlwind began to build.

Lilly was no longer in control of her body, her despair allowing Lilith the avenue she needed to wrest command over their destiny. The Wraith floated higher in the air, summoning a powerful Cyclone Rune, through which she channeled a lightning storm.

"_Finaler Sturm_," she mumbled as the weather shifted instantaneously, generating several tornadoes in the area, which sucked up every single Corrupted in their paths. Lightning intermittently flashed, zapping Lilith's enemies one by one, reducing them to little more than cinders. The rain summoned up by her powerful magic washed away all evidence that there were ever any enemies in the area.

Once the battle was over, the storm vanished as instantly as it had manifested and Lilith floated back down to the earth to survey her work. She picked up Myrtenaster, eyeing the craftsmanship for a moment before tucking it back under her belt where it belonged. She turned to Demetri, who was gawking.

"Lilly?" he mumbled.

"Hmm?" Lilith said. "Oh, uh, hey, Demetri."

"You're not Lilly, are you?"

She didn't answer.

"What is your name?"

"In a way, I am actually Lilly, though I guess I'm not the Lilly you've been hanging out with. She kinda...I guess passed out just now cuz of...conflicting emotions."

"Hey!" Ruby yelled as she faced off with her alongside Jaune.

Lilith looked over to her teammates, who were poised to attack her.

"Let Lilly go!"

"Let her go?" Lilith repeated.

"You heard her," Jaune said, gripping his sword and shield tightly. "We know what you are. We know what your kind does."

"Our world was nearly destroyed because of you!" Ruby said.

"Because of me?" Lilith said. "Oh, you're probably talking about my dear ol' dad."

Ruby and Jaune gave each other glances.

"You know about him?" Jaune said.

"Sure I do," she answered. "I know how he got my mother pregnant and then abandoned her, leaving her to raise me completely alone. When she needed him most, my father forsook her, in spite of all his promises never to leave her."

"You have no idea what Bedivere sacrificed his life for!" Ruby said. "His Wraith was taking him over! He was going to plunge the entire planet into a never-ending Labyrinth!"

"Is that the story?"

"It's not just a story," Jaune said. "We were face to face with his Wraith. He made it clear that he wanted to end everything."

"Doesn't sound much like hell to me. Sounds peaceful."

The duo grunted, sweat dripping from their foreheads.

"Either way, I don't intend on ending the world or anything so stupid. My father was a fool. An idealistic fool, clinging to his ideals until they ended up killing him and leaving his family without a husband and father. That's not what I want. I just wanna leave this place and walk among the light for once."

"We won't let you," Ruby said, determination and venom dripping from every word.

"Oh? You could barely stand against my father twenty years ago. What makes you think you have _any_ chance at taking me on?"

"Doesn't matter," Jaune said. "We made a vow to protect Remnant. And you're the biggest threat to it right now."

"Wait," Demetri began, "can we at least talk this through? She literally just saved our lives!"

"Yeah, I wouldn't bother," Lilith said. "To them, it was just a convenient side effect of me defending myself. Isn't that right? They're both so hell-bent on what my father did that I'm no different from him." She squared off with the duo. "Isn't that right?"

"No! Stop this!"

"Demetri, get away from her!" Ruby yelled before activating her Semblance and dashing in as quickly as she could, engaging Lilith in a high-speed clash of blades. Jaune was not far behind, delivering strikes powerful enough to unbalance Lilith, though she quickly countered by surrounding herself with Shield Runes and several mobile runes, which assisted her like gun turrets as she fought with Myrtenaster at close range.

"This is like fighting Weiss on overdrive," Jaune said.

"I won't let you consume my best friend's daughter!" Ruby cried, increasing the ferocity of her attack, catching Lilith off-guard, though the latter rapidly regained her bearing.

The two-front war was starting to take its toll and Lilith summoned her knight, the blackened version of Lilly's own knight. "_Ritter von Remnant, beantworte meinen anruf_! _Leih mir dein schwert_!"

"What in the world?" Jaune said, blocking the knight's enormous sword, dodging a second strike before countering.

"I said," Ruby began, "let Lilly go!"

She activated her Semblance, attacking from awkward angles and redirecting once more, striking Lilith from behind and causing her to lurch forward.

"Damn it," Lilith mumbled before activating more runes, using three of them to amplify her own physical power, including speed and striking force.

Regardless, Ruby's attacks were at an all-time high intensity, her years of experience and training backing every single movement, even surpassing the versatility that Lilith's runic magic afforded. Ruby managed to get in close, tackling Lilith to the ground, her scythe just inches from her neck.

"You really gonna try to kill me?" Lilith grunted.

"I'm trying to get you out of my friend's daughter!" Ruby yelled. "Lilly! If you can hear me, fight back—"

Lilith's knight projected a rune, which launched a powerful explosive fireball, knocking Ruby right off of her.

"Ruby!" Jaune yelled before re-engaging with the black knight.

Lilith was back up on her feet, taking the offensive to Ruby, but the latter would not be taken down so easily. Many of Lilith's moves were direct emulations of Weiss's fighting style and Ruby knew her old friend's techniques quite well, giving her a major advantage since Lilith telegraphed her attacks in a near-identical manner to her old combat partner.

Meanwhile, Demetri watched helplessly as his team tore itself apart. He wanted to see Lilith as an enemy as well, but that wasn't possible considering he knew her quite well despite the little time he had spent with her. It was her that he, Perseus, and Ariadne had hung out with last year at the end of summer. Though somewhat mischievous and cynical, that Lilith, whom they had incorrectly assumed was Lilly the whole time, did not radiate any malice. Bitterness was probably closer to her true feelings than anything else.

And even now, he could not sense true evil from her heart. As he continued to watch, the one emotion he could put his finger on was ache, a deep ache that no one in the world could even come close to understanding.

Except maybe her mother. After all, his daughter was not the only one Bedivere had left behind with his death.

"Ruby!" Jaune yelled, trying to get to his wife as Lilith pinned her to the ground. Lilith's black knight would not let him pass, however. "Dammit, get out of my way!"

"You really won't just leave me alone, will you?" Lilith said.

"No," Ruby said. "Not until you release Lilly."

"You know that's not possible. After everything you've learned about my father, you should know that a Wraith cannot be separated from her true self, since we are the other half which dwells in the darkness while the ego marches in the sunlight. You demanding that I leave Lilly forever is no different from asking us to die."

"I don't know how we'll do it, but we'll seal you up for good. Just like Weiss sealed Salem away."

"Big talk for someone pinned to the ground."

Ruby's face twisted into anger before she activated her Semblance, dragging both in a random direction, giving her the opportunity to turn the tables. But Lilith saw the move coming and she managed to keep Ruby pinned, first striking a wall and then a tree as Ruby made another attempt with her Semblance. Her aura broke at the final attempt, ending in the same position as before, with Lilith pinning her to the ground.

"If you won't leave me be," Lilith began, lifting Myrtenaster into the air, "then I have no choice. I will do _whatever _I need to do to ensure our survival. You will not hurt Lilly Schnee."

"No! Ruby!" Jaune yelled as Lilith brought Myrtenaster down, but she stopped as the tip of her weapon was right at Ruby's throat.

"Lilith...please...you have to...stop this..."

Ruby looked up at her assailant's eyes. The golden ring was gone, giving way to the old hazels. Just then, the haloes returned.

"You idiot. They're just gonna hunt us down. We'll never be able to rest. As soon as the entire Coalition knows of my existence, our peaceful life is over."

"It doesn't have to be that way!"

"Lilly, quit being so goddamn naïve!"

"I may be naïve, but I would never kill my friends! And besides! That's mom's friend! Haven't you thought of that? How would mom feel if we killed her best friend?"

Lilith's control wavered somewhat.

"Please, Lilith. Just...just let it go. They won't hurt us."

"You don't know that."

"No, I don't. That's what it means to have faith in others."

"Faith. Stupid."

"Maybe, but it hurts a little less to go through life if you can have faith."

Lilith was deep in thought. She looked Ruby in the eye, staring at her for a moment before finally relinquishing control back to Lilly, who began panting heavily as soon as she was back in her own body.

"Lilith," she mumbled.

_Don't think I have any faith in any of them. It's you that I'm betting my life on._

"That's a start. If you can't trust in anyone else just yet, that's fine. But I promise I won't let you down. I'll _never_ let you down, Lilith."

_Psh. Fine. Whatever._

"Lilly?" Demetri said.

"I'm okay," she said in a hurry before standing up and extending a hand to Ruby, who hesitated for a moment before accepting. Lilly turned to her knight, who had reverted to its true color in the meantime. "_Ich danke dir für deine hilfe_. _Bitte kehren sie dorthin zurück, wo sie hergekommen sind_."

Her knight bowed before fading away into twinkles of light. There were a few moments of awkward silence among the group.

"I'm sorry I never told anyone," Lilly said. "I should've told you when it happened last week that Lilith and I bonded and she's been with me in the real world ever since."

"Is that what happened when you were pulled into the mirror?" Demetri said.

She nodded. "It was...I guess my own Labyrinth I fell into. Although, I don't know if that's true. But yeah, she and I sorta fought and I sorta won—"

_You did not._

"—And then we sorta reconciled and she sorta followed me out into the real world."

"How?" Demetri said.

She shrugged. "Look, I only just found out I had magical powers last year. And I only just learned a week ago what a Wraith even is, so, like, if Ruby or Jaune wanna tell me what they know about my father, since they clearly do, it would be cool so I won't be in the dark about everything anymore."

"Lilly," Ruby began.

"I know." She began to tear up. "I know you guys don't wanna talk about him because apparently he hurt my mom so much that she doesn't even keep pictures of him in the house. I mean, Lilith hasn't stopped trash talking him for 'abandoning' us, or whatever he did."

"Lilly," Jaune began, standing in front of her. "Your father did not abandon you. He sacrificed his life for the whole world. For all of us here. And especially for you."

"Jaune's right," Ruby said. "If it weren't for what he had done, none of us would be here today. We'd all probably be wandering in our own Labyrinths right now. Forever."

"So yeah, if you can hear me, Lilith, know that your dad didn't just abandon you. He did what he did because he had no choice and because he loved you and Weiss so much."

_Psh._

"She says she understands," Lilly said.

_Oh, fuck you, too, Lilly._

Demetri walked over to her without a word before saluting.

"Uhh, isn't that against protocol?" she said.

"I doubt my father has any drones watching us here in this world," he said. "The only other person I have ever saluted this personally is Ivory. Lilly, I apologize for not intervening just now while Lilith ran amok."

She shook her head with a smile. "It's not on _you_ to control my inner demon, you know."

_Who are you calling a demon!_

"_You_, okay? Cuz you _are_ a little demon!"

_I'm not a demon! I am a fucking Wraith! And I am goddamn proud of that!_

Lilly couldn't help but giggle.

"It's really awkward when we can't hear the other person speaking," Jaune said.

"Yeah, it really is," Ruby said.

Demetri pressed a button on his radio. "Ariadne, can you hear me?"

"Barely," her voice sounded, accompanied by heavy static. "What's wrong?"

"We have a lot of updates to share with you. We won't be proceeding on those Labyrinth missions today. I think we have more important matters to take care of."

"Very well. I will be awaiting your return. Stay safe."

"Hey!" Lilly said, throwing her fists on her hips. "I'm team leader! You can't just hijack us like that!"

Ruby and Jaune chuckled.

"I've made a command decision, ma'am," Demetri said. "I don't believe you're in any condition to continue fighting."

"Who says?"

He pointed to her tattered clothing.

"Th-That's purely cosmetic!"

_You're tired as shit and you know it._

"Shut up, Lilith! Nobody asked you!"

The others chuckled.

"I have a feeling Lilith just agreed with me," Demetri said.

_Oh, oh, tell Demetri I think he's hot._

Lilly reddened.

"Is something the matter?" Demetri asked.

"Nothing's the matter!" Lilly yelled.


	15. Chapter XV

CHAPTER XV

_Fog of War_

Yang stood back to back with Hillphire as they planned a way out against all the Grimm marauding everywhere. How they had broken into the city and gotten past defenses was still a mystery, but that was one they would wait to solve until after the battle.

"You good?" she asked her companion.

"Yeah," Hillphire said, checking the systems on his powered armor. "I'm still at full power. Barely even getting started."

"Heh. I was thinking of calling my bike over so I could use my powered armor, too."

"Why haven't you?"

"Haven't gotten my hands dirty in a while."

"I expected that answer." He opened up channels between himself and his team. "Jerry, Sara, do you copy."

"Loud and clear, Will," Jerry's voice sounded in his earpiece.

"What do you need?" Sara asked.

"What's the status on the vaults?" Hillphire said.

"We have three of them filled to capacity. Jerry and I are still working on evacuations, but it's pretty chaotic over here."

"Hillphire, do you copy?" Raven's voice came through.

"Yes, loud and clear," Hillphire said.

"The three of us are trying to get to you as we speak, but there's a new type of Grimm we're encountering here and they're a lot more trouble than the usual types. We've also encountered several Skinwalker Grimm. And the new Specter Grimm that Penny's team reported a few months back."

"You said there's a new Grimm?"

"I dunno if they're even Grimm, really," Lucia's voice sounded. "They look like they're Grimm, but, instead of the bony parts, they've got...machinery?"

"Cyborg Grimm?" Yang muttered.

"Exercise caution when engaging them," Hillphire said.

"That goes without saying," Raven said. "We'll try and make our way to you if we can manage to clear things up here."

"Roger that."

—

"Liam!" Penny said, switching her systems to communicator mode. "Are you hearing me?"

"Yes, Penny, I hear you," he said.

"Oh, thank goodness. The kids and I are on our way to you now!"

"Be careful. Skinwalkers and Specters have been spotted among the Grimm. They might be using the regular Grimm as distractions before striking opportunistically."

"Good to know. Are we suspecting the presence of Omega Grimm?"

"With an attack this large scale, it's beyond a doubt. However, none of my scanners have picked up their presence, which is worrying."

"Stay safe!"

"You, too."

"Nevermore!" Athena yelled as several giant bird Grimm swooped in from the sky, plucking panicked civilians up off the street.

"Everyone!" Leon yelled at the crowds. "Get indoors! Stay out of the streets!"

"Got another one incoming!" Perseus yelled.

"I've got this," Ingrid said as she hopped from building to building, increasing her altitude with each step.

She unleashed six Dust-powered clones of herself, each one grabbing onto the Nevermore before detonating themselves, sending the bird Grimm crashing into the street. Yuan delivered the coup de grâce with Heaven Scorcher, his Ji halberd, twisting it in the Grimm's head.

"Yuan," Penny began.

"I know," he said. "I won't use the Wraith-Knight's powers out here."

"If only he could," Perseus said after decapitating a Beowolf with his sword. "We could use all the help we could get right now, not gonna lie."

"Teams LILY and APEX will remain here to assist civilians," Ivory said. "Penny, Astor, head to the Forge without us for now. We will catch up."

"Are you sure?" Astor said, facing off against three Creeps with his guitar axe in hand.

"Yes. Qrow will probably be at the front lines with your mother and my mother right about now. They'll need all the Huntsmen they can muster."

"None of you do anything reckless!" Penny yelled at the group.

"We won't, senpai!" Xanthus said. "Be safe!"

—

"What the hell is this thing?" Qrow muttered as he and Hollie faced off against a new type of Grimm, one that seemed to combine the form of a Beowolf with mechanized weaponry and armor.

"It's like a Geist Grimm, but not really," Hollie said. "No, this is like the reverse, like somebody put all this equipment on existing Grimm."

"Yeah, but who?"

The mechanized Beowolf attacked with much greater ferocity than its standard counterpart. The armored sections proved to be quite effective even against Qrow's scythe. It took both Huntsmen attacking at once to overcome it and finally kill the thing.

"For fuck's sake," Qrow panted.

Hollie transformed her axe into its anti-material rifle form, taking pot shots at armored Creep Grimm in the distance.

"Even Creeps have the upgrades," she mumbled. "This is bad."

"There you are!" Winter yelled, joining them alongside Penny and Astor.

"Astor!" Hollie said, running to hug her son.

"You guys needed help?" he said.

"Where is Liam?" Penny asked the group.

"He's out at the edge of the city with Yang," Qrow said.

"Okay."

"You headed there?"

"Yeah."

"Are you thinking this may all be because of what Ivory told us last year?" Winter said.

"I'm afraid that's the case."

"Atlas using Grimm?" Hollie said. "That's kind of unheard of."

"If it's Colonel Gottfried in charge," Winter began, "he'll go to any lengths to accomplish his mission. His black ops division is the most brutal Atlas has ever seen."

"And all this is sanctioned by the government?"

"Of course not. There's a reason it's called black ops."

Without another word, Penny darted toward the outskirts of the lower town.

—

"Looks like everything's going as planned."

Cinder turned to the Daemon she was working with.

"It's your turn, Fall Maiden. Show us what you're capable of."

"And what about that Colonel Gottfried?" she said.

"He has his own duties to fulfill. Worry about your own."

"Hmph."

"Do I get to kill this time?" Tyrian said maniacally.

"Of course you do."

Cinder still couldn't get used to seeing that Daemon in the form of her old master, Salem. It was uncanny how close the resemblance was. It seemed foolproof enough to convince even Tyrian, sating his obsession with her.

"Ohoho, thank you, mistress!" Tyrian cackled.

"Of course," Tamiel said, caressing his hair. He seemed to wag his scorpion tail as she patted his head. "Now, go and make mommy proud, Tyrian."

"Oh, oh! Yes!"

"Ugh," Cinder groaned as she moved out into the city with him and the rest of her crew.

—

"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" Yang grunted, wrestling with an armored Ursa. It snarled as it tried to bite at her head, but her new and improved right arm was much tougher than even the old Atlas model she once wore. Its teeth could not pierce her aura nor the artificial skin over her new arm. "Heh, no wonder Penny's mostly indestructible. Hey, Will!"

"Hmm?" Hillphire said, reloading his Dust cannons at a supply truck.

"I gotta give your company props! This arm's strong as hell!"

"L-Look out!"

She turned to the right at an approaching armored Beowolf, but something tackled it to the ground. The two rolled several times before the attacker tore open the Grimm's helmet and fired two Earth Dust rounds into its face, killing it.

"Holy shit, Penny!" Yang said before finally gaining the upper hand on the armored Ursa, wedging her shotgun gauntlet in the space between the armor plates and firing until it stopped moving.

"Are you guys okay?" Penny asked, running straight to Hillphire.

"Yes, we're fine," Hillphire said, looking at his arm-mounted monitor. Several reports came in through his radio system. "It looks like most of the civilians have been evacuated into the vaults. Nevertheless, the lower city is still overrun with Grimm."

"Have we figured out who's responsible for this shit?" Yang asked, reloading her gauntlet shotguns.

"Suspicion is on the report that Ivory gave us last year," Penny said. "At least, that's what Hollie and Winter are guessing."

"So, Colonel Gottfried has made his move," Hillphire said.

"That's the asshole from Atlas, isn't it?" Yang said. "Rumor has it he's the most ruthless and brutal guy ever."

"Borderline sadistic, according to Winter," Penny said.

"Finally," Raven said as she arrived with Lucia and Aurora in tow. "Good, you're not dead yet," she said to Hillphire.

"Any idea what these new things are?" Lucia said to the group.

"If Atlas is involved in all this," Hillphire began as he tinkered with the broken Grimm armor on the ground, "my best guess is that they've somehow succeeded in controlling the Grimm. Although, as to how that is possible, I have no idea. As far as we know, only Salem and her Omega Grimm had the ability to give direct orders to the Grimm, but some of this equipment looks like it could be used for communication purposes."

"They're directly commanding the Grimm?" Penny said, picking up one of the electronic components.

"We'll have to analyze it later."

"Okay," Raven began, "in the meantime, let's move you somewhere safe. We know you're a very high-priority target for them if they really are involved, so let's not get careless here."

"I agree with her," Penny said. "Please, Liam, let's get back to the Forge where you'll be safer."

"Wait," Yang said. "This is Colonel Gottfried we're talking about. He's not just brute force. He's also a master tactician. For sure he's already anticipated this. He might have an ambush for us on the way there or right at our destination."

"Should Aurora and I check it out in advance?" Lucia said.

"No, we stick with Hillphire," Raven said. "We need to keep as much firepower around him as possible."

"I agree," Penny said, switching over her communicator. "Guys, do you read me?"

"Loud and clear," Ivory responded. "We've just cleaned up here and we're heading to you now."

"Okay. The civilians in the lower town have been mostly evacuated, so we can leave the heavy duty security to the Mistral army. Hillphire is our number one priority right now, so meet up with us here."

"What about the Forge?" Athena said. "That place is pretty much a fortress, isn't it?"

"Have you anticipated that Colonel Gottfried might have agents there already?" Ivory said.

"So you were thinking the same thing?" Penny said.

"Yes. My mother has told me stories about him. His ruthlessness is matched only by his strategic and tactical genius. At this point, it is likely that he has traps waiting for us everywhere."

"How the hell could he have infiltrated Mistral so easily, though?" Leon said.

"He's a master of subterfuge. He most likely has sleeper agents all throughout the five kingdoms. Perhaps even in Atlas itself."

"We'll be the advance team for the Forge," Athena said.

"What?" Penny yelled. "No! You guys head over here! I don't want you doing anything reckless, you hear me?"

"We're not going to be reckless," Yuan said. "You and Professor Branwen have taught us well."

"Damn it, Yuan! I won't allow you to just run headlong into danger like this!"

"Our parents did the same thing twenty years ago, didn't they?" Ingrid said. "Besides, we're already here."

"We'll keep you updated, senpai," Xanthus said. "I'll make sure the whole group stays in line."

"Going into radio silence," Ivory said. "We'll report back when we clear the Forge."

"Wait!" Penny yelled. "Hey! Teams LILY and APEX!" She grunted, stamping her foot on the ground. "Winter, do you copy?" Penny said through her communicator.

"Yes," Winter responded. "What is it, Penny?"

"Are you close to the Forge?"

"A few blocks away," Hollie said. "Why?"

"Okay, send me your coordinates and wait for us there. I'll fill you in along the way."

—

"Maintain a tight formation," Ivory said, leading the group.

"All of a sudden you're our tactical expert, huh?" Athena said.

"You might be the best at fighting the Grimm, but I've trained for this kind of scenario my whole life."

"You mean, fighting against other people?" Xanthus said.

She nodded.

"You guys really took the prospect of war seriously."

"For all intents and purposes, we expected to go to war with Vacuo within the next ten years. I had no idea Atlas would start a global war in mere months, though. Ingrid, Echo."

The two scouts nodded before disappearing onto rooftops. They kept an eye on one another as well as their surroundings while they surveyed the environment. The Forge was much too quiet despite the surrounding battle against the Grimm.

"Are your Echo senses tingling?" Ingrid asked her partner.

Echo nodded. "Are your cat ears standing on end?"

"Yeah. I don't like this feeling."

"It's just like with that Moloch guy."

"And the Specter Grimm. I feel like they're everywhere."

Echo's danger sensing Semblance spiked in the direction of Athena and the rest of the group and she broke into a dash. Ingrid needed no verbal cues, following after her companion, but they were intercepted by a group of Specter Grimm, those humanoid Grimm which stood on two reverse-jointed legs and had the capability of optically camouflaging themselves into their environments.

"I still don't get it," Ingrid said, breaking her Shadow Blitz into dual swords. "Salem's sealed away, isn't she? How the hell are new Grimm popping out of nowhere?"

"It's the armored ones that worry me," Echo said, deflecting a sniper bullet with her bow before countering with such pinpoint accuracy that her arrow sank between the Specter Grimm's armor plates into its eye.

"Has anyone told you yet that you're a freakin' deadeye with that thing?"

"Wait, was that a pun?"

"Damn it, I just channeled the twins, didn't I?"

Echo chuckled.

—

"What the hell is with this armored shit?" Athena grunted as she drove her spear into an armored Beowolf's eye socket.

"I dunno!" Leon grunted as he struggled against an armored Boarbatusk, "but this is starting to be a pain in the ass!"

"Hey," Perseus said, backing up against Ivory. "Do you or your mom know anything about this?"

"No," she said, reloading Elfenbein's Dust cartridges. "In fact, I have a hard time believing Atlas has anything to do with these monstrosities. I know Colonel Gottfried can go to lengths that no one else is willing to, but even this is...I don't even know what to call this."

"It's possible for him to go rogue, though, isn't it?" Xanthus said. "How much latitude does your country afford him anyway?"

"A lot, but I doubt even _this_ would be sanctioned by the Atlas government."

"Not officially, anyway," Athena said. "Damn it, where are Echo and Ingrid?"

"Right here!" Echo said, landing next to her team leader alongside the cat Faunus.

"Where's Yuan?" Ingrid said.

Leon looked left and right. "The hell? He was right next to me!"

"Over there!" Xanthus yelled, pointing to their teammate, who was surrounded by Grimm of all types.

The group started toward him, but they were intercepted by another group of armored Grimm.

"Shit, Alphas," Perseus said, readying his sword and shield.

"You guys get to your teammate!" Athena yelled. "We'll take care of these assholes!"

"Roger!" Ivory said, leading the way.

—

Penny ran alongside her group, which included Hillphire, Yang's quartet, Ren, Nora, and Winter. Qrow, Hollie, and Astor had since joined up with Hillphire's old friends, Sara and Jerry, to continue helping with civilian evacuations. The bulk of the lower city's population was already in the impenetrable underground vaults, but the rest needed to be escorted to the inner city, where the wall and the main army would provide better cover than the open ground.

"There's no point in trying to reach them," Winter said to Hillphire, who continued attempting contact with the youngsters. "Ivory knows to go into radio silence when it's possible they'll encounter enemy combatants other than Grimm."

"You sure taught your kid how to kill other people, haven't you?" Yang said.

"Yang, not now," Penny said. "Besides, that training's coming in handy now that we're probably fighting against Atlas forces."

"Atlas forces that use Grimm to attack, huh?" Nora said. "Boy, I knew times were changing, but man they sure are _changing_."

"This is all most likely black ops," Winter said. "I've never heard of any official Atlas-sanctioned programs that utilize domesticated Grimm."

"General Holland really trusts this Colonel Gottfried, doesn't he?" Ren said.

"I was Ironwood's right hand. It's not surprising Gottfried is Holland's."

"Hold up," Yang said, stopping the group. Their path down the road was blocked by an unfamiliar face, accompanied by about half a dozen Grimm the group had never seen before, Grimm that stood on two legs with stature that was far too humanlike. They were enormous with bodybuilding physiques, faces frozen into identical emotionless stares.

"The hell are those things?" Nora muttered, readying her hammer, Magnhild.

"I don't know, but I don't like how they look," Ren said, readying StormFlower.

"Colonel Gottfried!" Winter yelled to the man, who was dressed in fully black garb from his jackboots all the way up to the military cap on his head.

"Colonel Winter Schnee," he said. "You have been quite the troublesome woman, do you know that?"

"What the hell are you doing with all these Grimm? Since when has our government sanctioned these kinds of experiments?"

"The council does not need to know about these matters. My goal is simply to ensure the continued hegemony of Atlas. The other kingdoms stand in the way of our manifest destiny."

"There's something off about those Grimm with him," Ren said.

"Yeah, it's making my hair stand up," Nora said.

"Oh?" Colonel Gottfried said. "Are you admiring our new Übersoldaten? Atlas may pride itself on its android army, but my Schwarze Sonne specialist corps has developed a far superior machine, perfectly obedient, immune to remote hacking, and quite powerful as well. Would you like to test yourself against them?"

"Don't mind if I do!" Nora yelled, rushing forward.

Ren advanced alongside her, engaging two Übersoldaten that had stepped out of formation to meet them in combat. Nora's hammer made direct contact with one of the monsters, but her strike seemed to have little effect.

"Does this thing have an aura?" Ren said, exchanging blows with the Übersoldat.

"There's no way these are regular Grimm," Nora said.

"You are correct," Gottfried said. "Countless hours of experimentation went into developing these perfect soldiers."

"Okay, what the hell did you do to those things?" Yang said.

"Surely you did not think I would divulge state secrets to outsiders so easily, especially not with a traitor in your midst. Colonel Schnee, did you succeed in finding your daughter? You do realize she is under suspicion of espionage and treason, do you not?"

"I did not receive any such orders from General Holland," Winter said. "Are you here under his orders or your own?"

"There is no official word regarding Cadet Ivory Schnee, of course, but I did not reach my rank by simply waiting for things to happen. You of all people should know how proactive I am."

"Yes, and I know that trait of yours has gotten our country into more human rights violations in the last two decades than any before."

"Well, as the saying goes, you cannot make a pancake without breaking a few eggs, yes?"

"You ruined pancakes for me," Nora snarled. "Also you got that idiom completely wrong, you doof."

"No matter." He drew his saber. "Colonel Winter Schnee, this confrontation between you und I has been very long in the making, yes?"

"So, you're here to fight," Winter said, drawing her own weapon.

"Well, not that I _want_ to. You must understand. I am merely acting in the best interests of our country. There are things General Holland himself is not willing to do, and so I must soil my hands in order to ensure that he does not need to."

"Penny," Winter mumbled, "keep a close eye on Hillphire, okay?"

"No need to tell me twice," she said.

Winter projected a glyph behind, launching herself at Colonel Gottfried, who matched her saber work with expertise befitting that of a leader of one of Atlas's two specialist corps.

"Wunderbar," Gottfried said as he exchanged blows with Winter. "Your skills have not dulled one bit in the last several months you have spent away."

"And you're not taking this fight seriously," she said.

"Hmm? Oh, you are referring to how I fight with one hand behind my back. I thought you would have noticed by now that this is how I do battle. We are fencing, after all, are we not?"

"Hmph." She projected a number of glyphs to attack with Dust, but Gottfried countered with rapid shots from his saber's built-in gun module, nullifying all of Winter's Dust projectiles. The fight once again returned to a melee scuffle between the two, with occasional Dust attacks here and there.

"He's just toying with her," Nora said.

"I don't think either of them are fighting at full power, to be honest," Yang said.

There was an explosion in the distance and the group looked over to the smoke rising from the direction of the Hillphire Innovations campus.

"That was," Hillphire began.

"The Dust refinery!" Penny said.

"Hey," Yang said to Penny. "Go help the kids."

Penny looked at her and then at Hillphire. "But..."

"I'll be fine," he said. "I've got Yang and her gang protecting me."

"High five, Will," Yang said, to which Hillphire responded accordingly.

"If you're sure," Penny said.

"Those youngsters need your help," Raven said. "William Hillphire is paying us to protect him. Plus, you can count on his safety with the Spring Maiden here."

"And us," Nora said, pointing to herself with her thumb. Ren nodded in agreement.

Penny let out heavy sigh. She turned to Hillphire before lunging at him in an embrace.

"Hey, what's up?" he said.

"Don't die, okay?"

"I won't. I promise."

She managed a smile before darting in the direction of the Forge, moving as fast as her body would permit.

—

Ivory took a deep breath as she landed beside the rest of her team, letting it out slowly. She needed to pace herself. This battle was much more taxing than normal. She peeked out from their hiding place, spying on the marauding armored Grimm.

"I'm so tired," Leon huffed.

"I mean," Ingrid panted, "they do have those stupid armored bits. Which makes this so much harder."

"Status report," Ivory said.

"I think I need a breather," Leon said.

"Same," Ingrid echoed.

"I can reinforce your auras if you need," Yuan said. "That should help with fatigue somewhat."

"Do that if you need to," Ivory said. "So far, it doesn't look like they notice us. We should take all the rest we need."

"What about you?" Ingrid said.

Ivory paused before answering, "I'll be fine."

"You don't have to put on a brave face for our sake, you know," Leon said.

She turned to him.

"We get it. We just want you know that we're looking out for you, too."

She gave him a nod before peeking between the two crates again to continue surveillance.

"Do you need extra aura from me?" Yuan asked her.

"My aura regenerates faster than most," she said. "Leon and Ingrid need your help more than I do."

"All right."

"I wonder how Athena's team is doing," Ingrid mumbled as Yuan extended his aura to her to aid with physical healing.

—

Echo yelped as she crashed into a steel beam after tumbling on the ground several times. She looked over at her opponent, a massive human-like Grimm she'd never seen before. It had swatted her like a fly with just a single punch, shattering her aura in the process and blinding her danger sensing Semblance. With it gone, she needed to utilize the rest of her senses, but her vision was blurry from the pain and there was a loud buzzing noise in her ears.

The giant man-Grimm was marching at her, the steady thumping of its heavy boots getting louder and louder with each step. At the last second, she managed to come back to her senses, kicking off the ground and vaulting over the muscle-bound Grimm's head, landing precariously atop a steel girder above. She coughed as the smoke from fires clouded her vision, stinging her eyes. She lowered herself to another beam, scanning her environment for her team. Athena was in one section of the warehouse, surrounded by fire and Grimm. Perseus and Xanthus weren't that far from her, fighting their own armored Grimm and giant, humanoid Grimm.

She took a deep breath, allowing her aura to reconstitute, before she jumped back down. With her Semblance back online, the red flags started pointing in the direction of her teammates again, making it easier to keep track of them. She darted from crate to crate before landing just above Athena, sending arrows flying at each of her enemies.

"Hey!" Athena called out as she pinned an armored Alpha Beowolf to the ground. "This is just like when we first met!"

Echo couldn't help but smile as she recalled that day in the woods, when she sent arrows flying to support who would become her partner, both in combat and in everything else. After felling all of their enemies, Echo leaped down, landing beside her partner, who gave her a high five.

"Let's go find the boys," Athena said.

"My Semblance is pointing this way," Echo said, pointing toward a stack of flaming boxes. "It's not too intense, so I think they're not in any serious danger."

"Good, let's join up with them so we can get the hell outta here. All this fire is making me all sweaty and gross."

Echo giggled, following after her team leader.

—

Penny continued dashing as fast as she could. Her heart was torn in two right now. On the one hand, she could not leave Hillphire's side, not while he shared the road with the man who presented the clearest threat to him. But she also could not just abandon the youngsters, whom she vowed to keep safe no matter what.

_Please be okay, _she thought to herself, gritting her teeth. _All of you, please be okay._

She vaulted off of rooftops, heading toward the Dust refinery. She gripped her perch tightly as she looked out at the carnage. The entire structure had been obliterated and neighboring buildings were on fire, one of which was a Dust storage warehouse. That was liable to explode at any minute.

_Where are you, dammit!_

She spotted a set of doors fly open. Team APEX piled out.

"Go, go!" Athena yelled. "It's gonna fucking blow!"

"Get behind something!" Perseus said.

Penny jumped from rooftop to rooftop in the direction of her students, landing behind them just in time to shield them from debris sent their way by the massive explosion.

"Senpai?" Xanthus said as he got back to his feet, head still ringing from the enormous blast just now.

"Are you guys okay?" Penny asked them.

"Yeah, are you?" Athena asked.

"No sweat. Where is Team LILY?"

"We got separated a while back," Perseus said. "Not sure where in the world they are right now, though."

There was gunfire in the distance.

"That might be them," Athena said. "Or it might be Mistral security forces."

Penny unhooked a pouch on her belt, pulling out a dozen tiny orbs, which began floating in the air. She threw them skyward and they each flew off in different directions.

"Drones?" Xanthus said.

Penny nodded before closing her eyes to focus on each of her surveillance drones. After a few minutes, she looked around at the team.

"Find them?" Athena said.

"Yeah," she said. "They're over at the actual Forge."

"Okay, let's go."

—

Leon grunted as he pushed back against a Specter Grimm's battle axe. His Vermillion Crescent groaned as its blade grinded up against his enemy's blade. For the longest time, they had thought that the only Grimm capable of utilizing weapons and thinking strategically were the Omega Grimm, which also possessed an aura and commanded the other Grimm. Specters had the advantage of stealth in addition to tactical ability and usage of weapons.

Without any other recourse, Leon used his Semblance, teleporting above the Specter with his scythe fully deployed, swinging it downward and impaling the Grimm in the back. He panted as he landed on the ground, watching the Grimm disappear. He looked around for his team. Ingrid and Yuan were back to back, surrounded by a group of armored Grimm of different types. Ivory was further away, fighting something he had never seen before, a severely muscular, human-like Grimm. She deployed glyph after glyph in both offense and defense, but the glyphs she used directly on her opponent had little effect and the offensive Dust-powered ones were completely useless.

The manlike Grimm broke through her glyphs and punched her in the jaw with enough force to send her flying through several crates. Without wasting another second, Leon teleported three times, covering the maximum twenty-five yards per teleport, making his way directly to his team leader, who had blood streaming down the side of her chin.

"Are you okay?" he asked, shouldering her up.

"Your aura just broke," she said.

"You noticed that, did you?"

"You've overused your Semblance."

"And I think yours barely kept you from getting killed with a single punch."

They both looked at the muscle-bound Grimm, which was stomping in their direction. To Ivory's surprise, Leon stepped between her and the thing.

"What are you doing?" she said.

"Without your glyphs, you're completely defenseless," he said. "I'll keep him distracted while your aura recovers."

"You idiot! Your aura is gone! Your mobility is severely limited along with your physical integrity!"

He gripped Vermillion Crescent tightly. "Even so, I'm not gonna let anything happen to you."

"Leon!"

He charged in, swinging at the big Grimm, but his blade bounced off of its aura.

"What the hell?" he said. "This thing has an aura!"

The monster grabbed him by the throat, and he dropped his weapon, clawing at the thing's hands to try and break free, but it hurled him to the ground, knocking the wind out of him. Ivory screamed out his name, running to his defense, but he was right. Without her aura active, her Semblance was inaccessible to her and without her glyphs, she was completely defenseless.

The man-Grimm was about to stomp on Leon when someone tackled it to the ground, grappling with it while exchanging blows. Even Ivory, who was aware of Penny's physical strength, was astonished at her ability to evenly dish out damage against this new Grimm they had never seen before. It possessed brute force, but Penny was far too agile. She dove at the Grimm, taking out its legs from beneath it before pinning it face down, sitting on its back as she gripped it in a headlock. She pulled on its head more and more as it flailed at her, trying to fight her off.

With a final jerking motion, she broke the monster's neck and it lay silent and still on the ground. Leon couldn't help but notice the ferocious look on her face during the whole scuffle. The first time he ever saw this face was when Athena was stabbed by one of the Omegas that had ambushed them in Forever Fall. The mask Penny wore on that day was just as scary as the one she wore now.

"Are you two okay?" she asked them.

"Y-Yeah," Leon said. "Look out!"

She was already ahead of him, turning to face another of those massive man-like Grimm, which tried to grab her. She counter-gripped the monster, both of them trying to wrestle each other to the ground.

"Find Yuan and Ingrid!" she yelled at the two. "I'll take care of this Übersoldat!"

"Right," Ivory said without any hesitation, heading to where she last saw her teammates.

"W-Wait a minute!" Leon said, following after her.

"Our auras still need time to recover," she said as she led the way, staying in the shadows to dodge all sorts of Grimm heading to where Penny was fighting that massive Grimm. "And it seems like she knows what that thing is."

"What was it she called it?"

"Übersoldat. I think I see them."

Leon looked ahead. Yuan and Ingrid were fighting against a horde of armored Grimm, but fortunately none of those Übersoldaten were nearby. With the four of them working together, it was easy to eliminate even these armored Grimm.

"Fighting these things is so goddamn tiring," Leon said.

"I've gotten kinda used to going for the weak points between the armor plates," Ingrid said.

"Me, too," Yuan said. "And also, lightning seems to short out their equipment pretty well."

"Oh, right," Leon said. "Your Heaven Scorcher can literally scorch the heavens with Lightning Dust."

"Okay, let's get back to Penny," Ivory said.

"Penny?" Ingrid said as they moved out. "Is anyone else here, too?"

Both teams were within eyesight of each other when they were split up once again. Barring Team LILY's path were two familiar faces.

"Hey, didn't we see them back at your hometown?" Leon said, glancing at Yuan, whose face was painted with anger. Leon recalled what happened to Kuroyuri. Yuan and his family were the only survivors of the Labyrinth catastrophe that had occurred there, and both of these new arrivals had been clearly involved in the incident.

"Mercury! Emerald!" Penny yelled. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I asked the same questions myself," Mercury said before holding out a hand toward Team LILY along with Emerald. Their hands began to glow before they launched fireballs at the team, scattering them.

"Were those runes?" Ingrid said from atop a crate.

Yuan looked at his own hands, tempted to fight back with magic, but he knew of his limitations. There was no choice now, though. These two were clearly able to use magic outside of the Labyrinth and he needed to fight back somehow. He willed his Earth and Water Runes to manifest on his flesh, building up enough magical energy to launch his own attacks. Mercury and Emerald prepared to evade, but relaxed themselves upon seeing Yuan's runes flicker until vanishing.

He fell to the ground, panting as intense pain burned throughout his body. Ingrid ran to his side, helping him back up to a knee.

"Are you okay?" she said.

"I thought..." he panted. "I thought maybe I could use my magic since they could use theirs."

"That's what I'm worried about. The fact that they can use magic."

Penny had just killed another Übersoldat and was dashing to Cinder's two companions when Cinder herself blocked her path, swords already fully formed. Penny formed her own swords, Aequitas et Veritas, engaging in a ferocious sword clash with the Fall Maiden.

"C'mon," Cinder taunted. "This didn't exactly end well with you the first time we fought."

"Neither of us was really into that fight," Penny said. "But this time, I _really_ wanna kill you!"

Cinder grinned before signaling somewhere. Out of the rafters, Tyrian jumped down, stabbing Leon with his scorpion tail before snatching Ivory and disappearing with her, all while cackling maniacally.

"Ivory!" Penny yelled.

"Shit!" Athena said, arriving with Team APEX. "Where the fuck did that son of a bitch go?"

"Tamiel!" Cinder yelled. "Now!"

A shadowy figure flickered into existence before spreading her arms, expelling a shadow-like mist that enveloped Penny, Cinder, Mercury, Emerald, and all of Team APEX. Ingrid and Yuan shielded their eyes as the wind force died down. Everyone else was gone.

"What the hell just happened?" Ingrid said.

"Ivory," Leon grunted before falling flat on his face.

"You've been poisoned," Yuan said, ripping open his shirt and examining the wound Tyrian had inflicted on him before reaching into his med kit. "Ingrid, I'm going to try and siphon out as much poison as I can. Try and contact Dr. Hillphire or anyone else that might still be alive. We need medical equipment ASAP."

"Okay," she said, getting on her communicator. "Damn it, there's too much interference in here."

"Head to the roof."

"Will you be all right down here?"

"Ingrid, we need to get someone _now_."

She nodded before hopping from crate to crate and rafter to rafter, disappearing through a skylight.

Armored Grimm began to surround Yuan as he worked on Leon's wound. There was no way a single Huntsman-in-training would be able to take down this many, not while he took care of a wounded comrade.

_Sir Elyan, _he thought, closing his eyes. _If you can hear me, I really need your help right now. I know you said you would turn over your whole destiny to me, but our power doesn't work in the real world. What should I do?_

There was no answer. There had been no word from that ancient being of magic since they had formed their pact. Left with no other choice, Yuan once more attempted to draw out that forbidden power. Even if he passed out from the exertion, if he succeeded in clearing out all the Grimm from the building, his mission would be accomplished.

That was assuming that the worst that would happen is him passing out. It would be just as likely that the power would tear him to shreds. After all, each time he tried to use the Wraith-Knight's power in the real world, that's exactly what it felt like.

_I have a friend to protect, _he thought, his heart and body resolute. Just as that day he formed that pact with Sir Elyan of Kameloth, he was once again willing to sacrifice his life for someone he cared about. He closed his eyes, digging deep into that well of power. As the magical energy burgeoned to the surface, he once again experienced that intense pain of his first unleashing of the Wraith-Knight and he screamed as something exploded outward.

—

"Why isn't anyone answering?" Ingrid yelled into her lapel microphone. She looked at the roof beneath her feet. Something was actively interfering with their communications, though she had no time to figure out what it was.

An explosion rocked the entire building, accompanied by a flash of light that blew every window outward. Amidst the racket, she could swear she heard Yuan scream. Her blood ran cold. He must have tried to use his magic once more. The consequences could be dire.

Tunnel vision dominated as she hopped back down through the skylight, moving from platform to platform before arriving where Yuan had been watching over Leon. Not a Grimm was in sight. Both of her teammates were unconscious and there was an apparent blast mark centered around Yuan's body. Upon closer inspection, she noticed something peculiar about the marks. It appeared to take the shape of feathered, eagle-like wings that extended outward from Yuan's body.

Ignoring it, she headed straight to her two companions, trying to shake them awake. Leon was in a cold sweat, his eyes closed, breathing and heart rate rapid. He was unresponsive to her commands, as was Yuan.

"Damn it!" she cursed, pounding the ground with her fist. "Is anyone out there?" she yelled into her microphone once more.


	16. Chapter XVI

CHAPTER XVI

_No Greater Love_

Athena looked around. She was in the Third Layer of the Labyrinth, but fortunately no monsters were nearby. This manifestation of Mistral was as grisly as she remembered it being, with the solid walls and floor replaced by grating which showed the ducting and other innards of the building. Beneath her feet, the darkness seemed to extend forever.

_Okay, _she thought. _You've been through this before. You can't be fooled by this shit a second time._

She wandered around, shining her flashlight ahead. Of course, beyond fifteen yards, this tool was all but useless. Still, it was better than walking in pitch black.

_Stubbing a toe is way too easy when you can't see where you're going._

Raspy breathing came from up ahead. She neared a corner, where the breathing was loudest. She had no idea what would be around the bend, whether it would be a single Corrupted or a hundred of them in a row. Since she was alone, she opted for caution, memorizing the layout of a nearby map before switching off her light, progressing forward using nothing but her awareness of her position in the environment.

The hoarse breaths were far behind her when she switched on her light again, but she nearly fell against the wall when the beam landed on a Corrupted, the grotesqueness shocking her almost out of her skin. Her knuckles went white as she gripped Pallas tightly. The monster did not see her; its eyes appeared to be stapled shut. It stood in place, breathing normally, making no noise. Every so often, it would convulse violently before standing still once more.

Athena was as quiet as a rock. She looked back, considering a retreat, but decided against it with that other Corrupted there.

_Forward, _she thought. _Press forward._

She tiptoed around the Corrupted, which failed to notice her presence. When she was past it, she let out a long sigh of relief, allowing her blood to flow normally throughout her body once more. She was out of the hallway and in a multi-story atrium of some sort. From the layout, she guessed that this room might correspond to a lobby in the real world.

Without any idea which way to go, she tried the nearest door, which was locked. She looked more closely at the door. From what she could tell, it wasn't just locked.

_Did someone glue this thing shut? _she thought.

She went to the next door. Same thing. Another door. Also sealed tightly. Finally, she came across a door that looked like it was recently used. She opened it quietly and slowly, stepping through when she was sure the coast was clear. Thanks to the property of light in this world, however, she failed to see the thing so big that it blocked the entire hallway.

_What the hell is an Übersoldat doing in the Labyrinth? _she thought as she brought up Aegis to block the muscular Grimm's heavy punch, which sent her sliding back so far that her light no longer reached him once again. Her shield continued to ring, as if crying out in pain and she looked at it. There were no cracks, fortunately. The massive Grimm's footsteps thudded toward her, nearing her with each second.

There was no way she was going to be able to stand toe to toe with this thing in such a confined space. She watched as Penny fought one of these things. Each one was roughly on par with a fully seasoned Huntsman. Even their instructor couldn't take them down as easily as the cannon fodder Grimm.

She ran back the way she came, but there were two Corrupted waiting for her in the atrium. She quickly stabbed one in the neck before shoving the other one over the railing with her shield. She looked behind. The giant Übersoldat smashed the doorway—frame and all—as it steadily marched toward her. As she ran, she loaded an Explosive Dust shell into her weapon and transformed it into rifle mode, taking a shot at the Übersoldat, but the grenade-like blast had zero effect on it.

"Damn it," she said, continuing to flee. More Corrupted barred her path as she darted through one doorway after another. Dealing with them slowed her down too much and the Übersoldat caught up to her, grabbing a nearby Corrupted and hurling it at her. She barely dodged it, but another Corrupted snagged her by the ankle and she fought with it, breaking free only a fraction of a second too late.

The Übersoldat's fist connected with her gut and she lurched forward, coughing out blood. Her aura was still intact, but it hit her with enough force to damage her through her protective shielding. Another punch to the face sent her flying back and she rolled several times on the ground. Her vision was blurry and she relied on the steady thudding to locate her enemy. She tried to move, but her entire body ached and her head throbbed.

The monstrous Grimm abomination picked her up off the ground before punching her again and then throwing her through the wall. The entire world spun around as Athena drifted in and out of consciousness. There was another painful strike to her side, though she couldn't figure out whether it was a punch or a kick. It could have been either. Or both. It didn't matter, though. All that mattered was that it hurt like hell.

There was muffled shouting coming from all over the place. Something dragged her this way and then that way before she began to float. No, someone was carrying her. Her delirium continued for another few minutes—that's what she figured, anyway—until her senses slowly started coming back. The Übersoldat's heavy footsteps never went away, but it didn't seem to come any closer.

She looked down. The grating beneath was moving rapidly. She finally realized that someone was carrying her over their shoulder. She looked to the right. Echo was running alongside, firing one Explosive Dust arrow after another at the pursuing Übersoldat. At the very least, each blast slowed it down enough for them to maintain a comfortable distance from it.

"I've got the front!" Xanthus yelled. "Echo, keep shooting!"

"Are you okay, boss?" Perseus's voice sounded.

"I'm good," Athena said.

"Thank god," Echo said. "I thought you were done for."

"I almost was. C'mon, dude, put me down."

Perseus chuckled before setting her back down on the ground.

"I'm taking this asshole out," Athena said, turning her attention to the approaching Übersoldat.

"Wait!" Echo said. "Your aura!"

They all watched as her aura reconstituted right before their eyes.

"Cover!" Perseus yelled, transforming his sword into a shotgun as he began firing away at the Übersoldat.

"Leave it to me!" Xanthus yelled. "Echo, you two help Athena kill that thing!"

"Right!" she said, relocating to a better vantage point to attack the massive Grimm.

Athena's encounter with this thing earlier told her everything she needed to know about it to put it down for good. Its physical strength was incredible, there was no doubt about that. The added durability of its aura made ranged attacks less effective as well, but nothing in this world was indestructible. Apply enough force to even the strongest wall and it will crumble before long.

She exploited her speed advantage over the hulking monster, dodging its grasp as she slid between its legs, snatching a thick metal chain before kicking off of the ground with the chain in tow, vaulting over the Übersoldat. It struggled with the chain as Athena continued jumping in various directions to further wrap the monster in that heavy chain.

"Yo," Perseus said to Echo. "That footwork."

"I think I know what she's doing," she said.

"Yeah. Her Semblance."

Once Athena was satisfied with how well-wrapped the Übersoldat was in those chains, she stowed her spear and shield on her back, reaching out with both hands to fully exert her Semblance on the metal chains, tightening their grip on the monster. With the increasing tension, its ability to fight back diminished until it was mummified behind a ton of steel.

Perseus, Echo, and Xanthus watched in awe as the massive Übersoldat crunched to death in the steel chain coffin Athena had custom fashioned for it. They looked over at their team leader, whose face was masked in hatred.

"Did any of you guys see Penny?" she asked without taking her eyes off of her dead prey.

"No, but Echo's been locating all of us with her Semblance," Perseus said.

"She's over that way," Echo said, pointing down the hall.

"Let's go," Athena said, leading the way.

—

"Three against one, huh?" Penny said.

"No," Cinder said. "Emerald and Mercury are here only to make sure no one interferes with our fight."

Penny immediately dashed at the Fall Maiden. "Good! I was hoping to have you all to myself!"

Cinder grinned as Penny closed in. She called on the full power of the Fall Maiden, floating in the air as she launched fire and lightning attacks at Penny, but the one with the artificial body was incredibly fast, managing to dodge every single projectile with relative ease. Cinder formed her own swords, clashing with Aequitas and Veritas with a resounding explosion of power.

"Upgrades?" Cinder said.

"Maybe?" Penny said, smirking. "Either that or you're just relying too much on your stolen power, False Maiden."

Cinder's face soured. "Careful."

"Oh, I'm not worried."

They broke off into another rapid exchange of slashes and parries and the occasional magical attack from Cinder and Dust attacks from Penny's built-in Dust casters.

—

"She's in danger," Echo said, her Semblance lighting up Penny's location like a beacon. "Down this way!"

Team APEX headed through a decrepit hall, slaughtering swaths of Corrupted in their path.

"Did you all spawn into the Labyrinth separately, too?" Athena asked her team.

"Yeah," Perseus said. "Echo was the one who brought all of us together thanks to her Semblance."

"Every time someone ran into trouble," Echo began, "I picked up on it. Yours was the quietest for a long time, which I figured was because you went for stealth instead of fighting from the start."

"On the other hand, I fell right into a fucking room full of Corrupted. Thank goodness for my shield. Shit. Plus, she wasn't all that far off."

"Athena," Xanthus said, turning to her. "Are you sure you're all right? That Übersoldat thing was really hitting you hard."

"I'm fine," she said. "Quit fucking asking me already."

"I apologize."

They burst into a cavernous room in which light behaved properly. A light haze persisted in the air, but for the most part, vision was not obscured so much.

"When the hell did we ascend to the Second Layer?" Perseus said.

"It's because of her," Athena said, glaring at their floating enemy, who exchanged ranged attacks with Penny.

"C'mon!" Xanthus yelled.

Their path was blocked by Emerald and Mercury.

"Sorry, private function," Mercury said.

"Get out of our way!" Xanthus demanded.

"You feeling confident, Emerald?"

"I am, but I'm not trying to take any chances," she said before holding out her hand, which glowed dark indigo.

"Boring," Mercury said, doing the same. "Ugh, I still have no idea how to use these Gate Runes. Asmodeus and Ba'al never taught us anything."

"You weren't paying attention, then."

Two runes appeared on the ground, runes dark indigo in color. From each one emerged two monsters. One was an ogre-like monster while the other took the form of a large, jellyfish-like creature which floated over the ground, intermittently spewing toxic clouds of gas and emitting flashes of electricity.

"What the fuck did I just summon?" Mercury said, recoiling from the monstrosity.

"That's gross," Perseus said. "Do I have to fight that thing?"

Athena went straight on the offensive, dodging both the jellyfish monster and the ogre, heading directly for Emerald and Mercury, who were shocked with her ability to assault them both at once, though her focus was more on Mercury. Emerald was about to engage when she turned to dodge an incoming Fire Dust arrow, which came from out of nowhere. She located Echo, drawing both of her pistols and firing at her, forcing her to relocate.

Meanwhile, Perseus and Xanthus engaged the two summoned monsters together. Unlike Lilly's summoned knight, these two were not insubstantial.

"Are these fucking things real?" Perseus yelled, blocking against repeated hits from the lesser ogre.

"Perseus, can you handle these things on your own?" Xanthus said.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"Penny needs help."

He looked over to their instructor, who was on the defensive now. "Fuck. I'll do what I can, man. Go help yo girl."

Xanthus hesitated for a moment before heading toward Penny. As soon as he was within range, he activated his Semblance, sending a wave of fire from his Sword of Chaos. Cinder barely managed to block the attack with a force field and Penny nearly succeeded in taking advantage of the distraction, but Cinder's speed had increased since they last fought and she nailed Penny in the face with a well-timed punch.

"Senpai!" Xanthus yelled. The use of his Semblance just now at such a high level left him slightly more vulnerable. Even now he could feel his aura at the breaking point.

"Xanthus! Stay back!" Penny said. "She's more dangerous than any of your enemies up until now!"

"That's right, boy," Cinder said before launching a massive fireball at him, sending him flying back.

"Xanthus!" Penny yelled before resuming her attack. "You bitch!"

In the meantime, Xanthus was dazed from the explosion. He tried to stand up, but dizziness overtook him and he fell back to the ground. Blood was streaming down the side of his head. That's what he surmised the warm feeling was, anyway.

_Xanthus._

"Is someone there...?" he managed.

There was no response.

"Am I...hallucinating already?"

He gave his aura a few minutes to recover and when everything was back in working order, he stood up, looking up at Cinder, who had Penny by the throat. That wasn't what made his blood run cold and his eyes to open wide, however.

"Penny!" he yelled. She was dripping white blood everywhere. Her right arm was missing and her right leg was mangled beyond recognition, wiring and artificial muscle mingled together in a mashed up mess. The whole right side of her body was severely damaged, including her face, from which skin was burnt off to reveal the hardened steel skull beneath.

"Oh, you're finally awake," Cinder taunted. "You're probably wondering what just happened. "You've actually been unconscious for a while now. Maybe fifteen minutes or so. Your friends aren't doing so well either.

He looked over at his team. Perseus was seated against a pillar, shield broken, and he was bleeding from his ear. He had somehow defeated those two monsters, but it didn't look to be easy. Echo was shouldering Athena as they hid from Mercury and Emerald, who hunted them down.

"You picked the wrong battle, kid," Cinder continued. "You would've been better off sitting this one out. Penny's only in the state she's in because she shielded you from my attack. I thought you of all people would've already put that together given your surroundings."

Xanthus glanced around. The environment around him had been scorched, all except for the space where he had been lying. "What do you want?" he demanded, gritting his teeth as he realized what Penny had done for him.

"Nothing anymore. You've helped me kill my target already."

His blood was on fire now and he gripped both of his swords so tightly that his hands began to hurt.

"Let her go," he said sternly.

"Or you'll what?" Cinder said, mild annoyance in her voice. "What can you possibly do right now?"

"I said, let her go!"

"You're beginning to irritate me."

Xanthus yelled as he unleashed both halves of his Semblance at her, sending a combined wave of fire and ice, but even this mighty attack had no effect on the barrier surrounding Cinder's body.

"Were you really gonna blast away Penny at the same time?" Cinder said, incredulous.

He gritted his teeth as his aura broke from the stress of overusing his Semblance. "Damn it, let her g—"

Cinder silenced him with a fireball, which sent him to the ground in pain. "Do you understand now?" she said. "Do you understand how powerless you are?"

Xanthus coughed, rolling over to try and get up, but his strength failed him.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again. What can you do without might? You can save no one if you're too weak, let alone yourself."

"Xan...thus..." Penny managed.

"It's time to put you out of your misery," Cinder said, holding a hand to Penny's head, building up thermal energy.

Xanthus looked up, tears streaming down his eyes, but something was odd. The explosion of fire never came. He looked over at his teammates. Athena and Echo were frozen mid-run. Perseus was in the midst of wrestling with Mercury.

"What's...happening?" Xanthus muttered.

_Xanthus Xenon. That is your name, is it not?_

"Who are you?"

_I am Sir Percival of Kameloth. It seems your heart has called out to me._

"My...heart?"

_Mmm, yes. You and I are kindred spirits, it seems. We both possess an insatiable thirst for knowledge and a certain feeling of responsibility for others. This is why you became class president, is it not?_

"How do you know these things?"

_As I said, your heart has called out to me and I have answered. I was once called the Knight of Wisdom in my time. Now, Xanthus Xenon, it seems it is your time. Do you wish to possess the power to save your friends?_

"Of course I do," he said, "but what's the cost?"

_The cost is pain unlike you have ever felt in your life. The power of the shadow is great, but it is also wretched to the core. If you can tame it, it is yours to wield._

"You are the Knight of Wisdom, and yet you took this power for yourself?"

_It is true. Perhaps it would seem unwise to possess such a power. However, this was a price I was willing to pay to serve my king. Besides that, where I come from, one's Wraith exists regardless of who you are. All of us who possess magic also possess a Wraith, the dark half of the soul for those born with the gift of magic._

"And you're saying that this power can be mine?"

_By proxy, of course. I believe your friend has already formed a pact with my fellow Wraith-Knight, Sir Elyan of Kameloth._

"Yes, that's right. But it's not going so well for him. He can only use his magic in the Labyrinth."

_As I expected. After all, Wraiths are beings native to the World of Shadow, where we now stand. The world of light rejects them outright._

Xanthus looked back up to where Cinder and Penny were frozen in time. "I don't think this is a thing I should be meddling with."

_And it is that doubt, that hesitation to embrace the shadow, which leads me to believe that you are worthy to receive this dark and awesome power. I truly believe that you can wield it without allowing it to corrupt you._

"I do want to save her. To save everyone."

_Your words resonate with the heart of this knight. I would go so far as to call you a fellow knight. What say you to the title of Sir Xanthus Xenon of Remnant?_

Xanthus looked down at his hands, hands which were powerless to save Penny. Cinder was right. Without might, he could save no one. But this power that Sir Percival offered him was a power born of a nightmarish world. He wrestled with the idea for but a moment. His heart was resolute on saving Penny and the rest of his team. Even if the cost was unfathomable pain and a burden like no other, he was willing to pay that price.

"Sir Percival," he said. "Let's form a pact."

_Very well. I am Sir Percival, Wraith-Knight of Kameloth, servant to Arthur the Pendragon of Albion. Do you, Xanthus Xenon, swear to uphold the knight's code of justice, honor, valor, and mercy?_

"I swear it."

_Then, I, Sir Percival, swear my undying allegiance to you, Sir Xanthus Xenon of Remnant. Thou shalt command my destiny and wield my sword. With my power, lay waste to thine enemies._

"This is the end for you," Cinder said, but she was interrupted by yelling that came from below.

Everyone turned their attention to Xanthus, who was screaming at the top of his lungs while putting both hands to his head, which caught fire on the left, freezing on the right. Flames and ice continued to spread to the rest of his body, immolating the left half while the right half was covered in frost. The flames turned black along with the icicles forming all over him. His screaming turned into maniacal laughter as the black ice and fire intensified.

"I don't think so!" Cinder said before hurling a powerful fireball at him.

It exploded on contact, but did zero damage. Xanthus continued to laugh, his voice accompanied by another not his own. An explosive force ripped his body to shreds. A black mist covered the area where he once stood, taking the nebulous form of a vaguely humanoid, winged being. The apparition began to congregate at the center of this storm and eventually, all of the black mist dissipated, revealing a fully intact Xanthus standing, his clothing all black in color with hints of yellow detail, wisps of black mist rising from beneath his feet. His natural eye color was buried beneath a flame-like ring of gold emerging outward from his pupils.

Meanwhile, Cinder gritted her teeth. She knew exactly what was happening. She might be able to fight against this newly emerged being, but the question was whether she would live long enough until this surge of power finally subsided or if he would kill her before that happened.

She gasped as Xanthus decided the outcome for her. He held out his left arm to her, projecting a massive column of fire in her direction. She released Penny and evaded before launching her own fire attack, but Xanthus countered with his right hand, projecting a blizzard-like force which extinguished her flames with little effort.

"We gotta get out of here," Mercury's voice sounded in her headset.

Swallowing her pride, Cinder poured all of her strength into speed and fled. Mercury and Emerald were already gone. Xanthus let out a heavy sigh of relief before closing his eyes, fighting the near-animalistic rage that burned in his soul right now. Fortunately, Sir Percival's assessment had been correct. Xanthus managed to tame this power, decreasing the output until the black mist at his feet disappeared. His eyes continued to glow with those golden rings of light, signifying that his magical power was still very much active.

He ran straight to Penny, who was in critical condition. She coughed out white blood as he cradled her in his arms.

"Xan...chan..." she managed. "You're safe..."

He assessed her entire body, but the damage was catastrophic. It was a wonder she was still functional.

"We need to get you back to the Forge," he said, turning to his teammates, who had just arrived. "Athena, you're seriously injured. I can tell with just a glance."

"Penny's priority," she said. "Now that you've got the same powers Yuan has, get to it. Heal her."

"Her body is beyond magical healing. I need to get her back to the Forge."

"So, let's get back. Do you know how to drag us all to the real world?"

He closed his eyes. "Yes. Everyone get closer. It requires less exertion if we're all closer in proximity."

—

Penny winced in pain as Xanthus and the others wheeled her into the Forge, which had been retaken by Hillphire Innovations and the Mistral Army. She looked to the distance, where Jerry Brimstone, Sara Windfield, and Ariel Hillphire coordinated alongside Hollie and a number of other city officials. She drifted in and out of consciousness as error messages popped up all around her vision. The safety measures put in place kept her from bleeding to death, but there was so much damage throughout her body that the integrity of her neural network was also in danger. Her systems rerouted all resources to her artificial brain, maintaining it as much as possible.

She blacked out for a moment, imprisoned within her own mind, unable to interact with the outside world. This was the hell she had been trapped in all those years ago, when her body was first destroyed. Being an inorganic person, her soul had not been permitted to leave her metal chassis and she had been confined in a iron coffin until Qrow managed to locate her remains and deliver her to Hillphire's lab. It was not until Bedivere connected magically with her soul that she had any hope. He had pulled her back from the brink of despair. Even now, she maintained the hope that Hillphire would be there to rescue her once again. He did promise, after all.

Her backup Dust reactor in her lower abdomen kicked in, but that was damaged as well and was providing only enough power for critical systems to remain active, which included her neural network and a few muscle groups. The rest of her body was motionless, a bid to conserve as much energy as possible. Her auxiliary Dust reactor was only providing 5% power at this point. The primary one in her chest was no longer functioning and her heart was also damaged, barely pumping any of her white blood to the rest of her body, fluids that were crucial for all of her hyper-organic functions.

There were fuzzy voices all around her, some familiar, others foreign. Hillphire's voice was not among them.

"Liam..." she managed, her voice weak. "Liam..."

"Senpai," Xanthus said gently.

She could feel his touch in her only remaining hand, but she could not return his grip. Her body would not move. After all, her backup reactor was barely providing power for her to remain conscious and at least move her eyes and head.

"Senpai, I need you to remain calm," Xanthus continued. "We're in the Forge right now, hooking you up to life support. Your reactors are both critically damaged and your auxiliary is about to give out. Please, conserve as much battery life as you can."

"Where's Liam, Xan-chan?" she managed to ask.

Xanthus didn't answer, turning away from her. She noticed tears forming at his eyes.

"Where is he?"

"He's right here," he said, his voice cracking. "So is Leon."

Penny managed to turn her head to the left. Leon was in a hospital bed, unconscious. He was on oxygen and several IVs ran out of his arm. Yuan was sitting on his own hospital bed, apparently dazed and confused, but conscious as Ingrid tended to him.

"What...happened to Leon?" she said.

"He was poisoned by Tyrian's stinger," Xanthus said.

A pit began to form in Penny's stomach and she slowly turned her head to her right, dreading to see who was there. As soon as she laid eyes on him, she began to panic. Had she control over her body right now, she would be thrashing, but all she could do was cry. Hillphire's body was a mess, probably more so than hers. The doctors had controlled the bleeding, having amputated his left arm and patched up his right eye, but he was unconscious and his aura was not recovering. She didn't have to be a medical doctor to know what the monitors were saying. Heart rate was low along with his blood pressure and respiratory rate. In addition, his ECG graph was abnormal.

"Xanthus," she sobbed. "Tell me what's wrong with him."

"Gottfried tried to kill him," Yang said, walking up to her bedside. "He nearly killed Winter and Nora, too, but Ren and I managed to push him back. No one knows where the fuck he is. Mom's out looking for him now along with Uncle Qrow."

Penny noticed the tinge of pain in her old friend's face. "Where are the rest of your team?"

Yang turned to the side, failing to mask the anguish in her face. "That son of a bitch killed Lucia and Aurora."

Aurora. She was the young girl on the team. Fourteen, if Penny remembered correctly.

"He wouldn't even let her make it to her fifteenth birthday," Yang seethed.

Everything seemed to be coming down like a house of cards in the middle of a hurricane. Penny closed her eyes for a moment. "Is Liam gonna make it?" she mumbled.

Xanthus didn't answer for some time. "His heart has been damaged," he finally said. "If he does not get a transplant soon, I don't know if he'll last."

"Xanthus!" an engineer said, arriving with a metal box. "We've got the part you asked for!"

"Okay. We'll begin repairs to her body as soon as we can stabilize her."

Penny shut her eyes as the hustle and bustle began.

"Penny," Xanthus said, "the first repairs we're gonna make are to your heart and Dust reactor. We need to make sure those are both functioning before we can proceed to work on the rest of your body."

She looked over at the replacement heart she was going to receive. She blinked a few times. Was she hallucinating? "That looks like a real heart," she said.

"It is," Xanthus said. "It's as close to a real heart as Dr. Hillphire was able to build. He intended to give it to you since that was the last part of you that wasn't at least partially organic just yet. Aside from your neural network."

"Xanthus. Do you have the skill to put it in Liam's chest instead?"

He hesitated. "Penny?"

"Liam needs that heart more than I do."

"But—"

"I don't care what happens to me. He needs to live. Xanthus, please. Don't fight me on this."

"Penny, think about this. I don't know if his body will be able to withstand the pumping power of this heart. It was meant for your body, after all."

"Do whatever you have to do to make it compatible with his body, Xanthus."

He closed his eyes, squeezing out tears. He turned to the surgeon. "Can we place this heart in Dr. Hillphire's body?"

"It's possible," he said. "It does contain the correct anatomy. But it's just as you said. This heart is not a normal human heart."

"I'll do what I can with the hyper-organic matter programming. You just make sure he can get it."

"I will do my best as well, young man."

Penny managed to give Xanthus a smile. "Thank you, Xan-chan," she said.

He squeezed his eyes shut. With the last of her strength, Penny overrode her system and reached up with her hand, gripping his tightly before finally losing consciousness.


	17. Chapter XVII

CHAPTER XVII

_The Coming Storm_

"Okay," Lilly sighed as she finished sending Astor, Leon, Yuan, and Ivory back into the real world. "Now, how the heck do we get back to Vacuo? This whole space-time shifting thing is really confusing."

_You're telling me, _Lilith said.

"Hey, are you all right now?"

_No. I was having fun beating the shit out of Ivory. Now I gotta kill something to let out that frustration._

"Okay, kill Grimm or something, not my cousin, please."

_Yeah, yeah, whatever. Hey, don't you miss Leon and them?_

Her heart skipped a beat. "Of course I do. But we have important stuff to take care of. Vacuo is about to start a war with Atlas and we need to stop it."

_How exactly were we planning on doing that?_

Lilly didn't answer.

_Of course._

"Either way, we're lost. And we somehow ended up in Mistral's Labyrinth instead of Vacuo."

_Dude, we've been traveling all over the freakin' world, not just Vacuo and Mistral, you know. Remember the other day when we ended up out in the middle of bumfuck, nowhere?_

"I have no idea how any of this works!"

_Ariadne's probably panicking right about now, too. And Demetri, and Ruby, and Jaune._

"Ugh, we have to figure out a way to get back without having to walk all across the planet."

_Your guess is as good as mine, dude._

With no other recourse, Lilly began walking.

_Any idea where you're headed?_

"Not really. I'm hoping we warp back just like we warped this way."

_What if we warp to, like Atlas instead?_

As soon as Lilith finished her sentence, their environment began to distort all around them. Mistral's buildings morphed into massive, concrete structures that reached into the sky.

"Are you serious?" Lilly sighed.

_Hey, that wasn't me, okay?_

"You jinxed us!"

_Oh, shut up!_

"Ugh! Where the heck do we go now?"

—

Ivory slowly opened her eyes. She was dizzy, but at least she was able to regain consciousness. She looked around. Darkness surrounded her, but there was a faint light source in the distance. Lightning flashed, illuminating everything around her for a moment. She was still in the Labyrinth's Third Layer. That was clear from the blood red sky, whose glow reached her even as other light sources failed to extend beyond fifteen yards.

"I can't believe you lost the girl, you idiot."

"Shut your mouth! I'm not the one who screwed up the magic!"

"You'd better watch your tongue, Tyrian, before I cut it out."

"I'd like to see you try, Fall Maiden! I'm not the one who was beaten by a little brat!"

Ivory hid herself behind a broken wall. Somehow, her captors no longer had her in their possession. She needed to get to safety. On second thought, there were no safe places in the Labyrinth. She had no magic to protect her here either. Stupid as it may be, she might be better off revealing herself so that she could stay within the protective magical bubble of the Fall Maiden, whose power enabled her to assert reality around her to some extent.

The problem would solve itself in short order. Ivory turned to face a foe she had never seen before, a man dressed in black clothing, though from the golden halos that filled his irises, she knew that he was no ordinary man.

"Why the hell do we count on humans to do our work anyway?" he sighed heavily before moving faster than her eye could see. He had her in an iron grip before she could even react.

"What do you want with me?" she said without bothering to struggle.

"You're not going to fight back?"

"What's the point? You're one of those Daemon things, aren't you?"

He released her, confident in his ability to subdue her if she decided to resist. "We prefer the term Greater Daemon. It helps to distinguish us from those ugly things that can't even make themselves presentable before an audience."

"There she is!" Tyrian yelled before darting to them.

"You're lucky I was around. Should I tell your mistress that you screwed up?"

"N-No! Please, Asmodeus! Don't tell my mistress!"

"Gods, this is disturbing. Fine, I won't tell Tamiel. Make sure you don't fuck up in the future, understand?"

"Yes! Yes! Thank you for your leniency!"

"You followed us," Cinder said. Emerald and Mercury were right behind her.

"Of course," Asmodeus said. "And it's a good thing I did. Otherwise, you four would have lost this one."

"I'm surprised you aren't running away," Mercury said to Ivory, who glared back without a word.

"I'll be joining you since you can't seem to get a simple job done correctly," Asmodeus said.

"Hmph," Cinder grunted.

"Cinder, you may possess the advantage in the real world, but do not forget that you are on my territory now. If I were so inclined, I could have torn you limb from limb."

"Why don't you, then?"

"Because Azazel is so fascinated with you." He turned to Ivory. "Will you follow us willingly?"

"Do I have a choice?" she said.

"You do. Either you come without a fuss or I beat you into submission. Whichever you prefer. I am perfectly capable of keeping Wrath under control, unlike my brother and his aspect, but I also can channel it quite well."

"I'll come peacefully, then."

"You're smart. Just like your mother. This way."

"I don't understand," Ivory said as she followed after the Greater Daemon. "Why don't you just beat me up to be certain? You have not even disarmed me."

"You believe that my kin and I should be behaving more like stereotypical bad guys out of a movie, do you?"

"I at least expected you to be more cautious."

"Do you believe you have what it takes to draw your weapon and stab me in the back?"

She didn't answer.

"There you have it. I must add, too, that I'm impressed at your self-control. You're superior to your mother in that regard."

"You seem to know a lot about my family."

"Of course. We've taken a great interest in you."

"Who is 'we'?"

"Myself and my kin, of course."

"I don't suppose you're gonna share your goals with me, are you?"

"A world in which we are free to walk in the light without burning. That is all Azazel wishes for."

"That seems a bit shallow."

Asmodeus smiled. "I did not expect a creature such as yourself to understand. You are blessed to walk among both light and shadow, though you live a short existence. We, on the other hand, have been around for millennia, cursed to forever roam the darkness, expelled by the light itself."

"I mean, aren't you supposed to be evil or something? It's in the name, after all."

"I thought you might understand us better than others. After all, you, too, wish to break away from the chains placed upon you by your society and your lineage. Or am I mistaken?"

He wasn't mistaken at all. These are things that dwelled deep in her heart. She always had dreams of living with her mother outside of the sphere of the Atlas Military, outside of the realm of the Schnee Family. She had always wanted to escape everything, but each time the thoughts sprouted in her mind, she would stamp them out, never permitting herself to be distracted from her destiny.

"Do you believe that you have chosen your destiny for yourself?" Asmodeus asked her.

She didn't answer.

"If you do believe that to be the case, then forget what I have said. But if what you have is not what you want, perhaps you should pursue what you truly desire."

—

_Really, where the heck are you going?_

"I don't know!" Lilly yelled back.

_Yo, relax, okay? We're still in the Third Layer. There could be Corrupted near by, for shit's sake._

Lilly sighed heavily. "Lilith, please, just, stop being mean."

_Being mean? What?_

"Something feels funny about something in this direction."

_Could you be any more vague?_

"Shh."

Lilly stuck to barriers and shadows, keeping hidden from unseen threats.

_I'm sensing something._

"Me, too."

_If you need me to take over, let me know._

Lilly continued to advance toward that strong presence. It was in the middle of Atlas, but as she neared the center of the sensation, her surroundings began to warp yet again. She was no longer in the streets of Atlas, but in what looked to be a medieval town, complete with a castle in the distance.

"What the?" she said, looking around in shock.

_Is this a personal Labyrinth?_

"I thought _you_ would know the answer to that."

_It can't be. I don't sense any serious distortion._

"But I'm pretty sure we just walked right through a distortion field."

_Yeah, me, too, but this space is stable._

"What could it be?"

_Now you've got me curious, too._

—

"What is this place?" Ivory asked as they walked toward the large castle in the distance.

"This space that has manifested before you right now is a result of us forcing a reality in this world," Asmodeus said. "The physical appearance is merely a whim of its creators. My kin can be nostalgic at times. Often they will build these bubbles of reality to resemble our old home."

"You lived in a castle?"

"Not always, but there were many castles where we're from."

Screams came from the grand stone building, growing louder as they neared.

"Are you torturing people?" Ivory asked the Greater Daemon.

"Only the ones that need to be tortured," he said matter-of-factly. "Not all of those screams are torture, however. They are tormented, without a doubt, but not necessarily active torture. This place is the World of Shadow, after all. Or, as you call it, the Labyrinth, a reflection of the souls of humankind. Many who find themselves trapped in this world are doomed to exist in their own personal hells."

Ivory fought to contain her horror as they passed through corridors lined with cells that held countless people, each one in some state of agony. As she looked into every cage, she noticed a frightening pattern. Some of the cells contained not tortured humans, but Corrupted, some crying, some screaming in terror, some shouting in rage, some laughing hysterically.

"Are you the ones who manufacture the Corrupted?" she managed to ask.

"Corrupted?" Asmodeus said. "Is that what you call them?"

She nodded.

"We simply call them the Lost, but I suppose Corrupted works perfectly for them. No, we do not create them. They simply come to be. Anyone lost in their own despair ends up this way. It is the natural progression of one lost within the Labyrinth."

They finally came to a central chamber, where other darkly dressed people were present. Cinder and her two followers headed down a different corridor, disappearing into the darkness, while Tyrian ran to one of the only two women of the group.

"Mistress!" he yelled maniacally before lying in her lap. "Did I please you?"

"You did, Tyrian," the woman said with a smile.

Ivory couldn't believe her eyes. How could Salem be here? She was supposed to be sealed away. She had seen that place during a field trip years ago and she knew exactly how she looked.

"Are you seeing the illusion as well?" Asmodeus said to her.

She looked up at him.

"I suppose it's not surprising given your mortal eyes. Tamiel takes on the form of Salem, whom Tyrian obsesses over, for the purpose of placating him."

"That's..." she trailed off.

"Asmodeus, you've finally arrived!"

"Azazel," he said with a bow.

"Ah, and our esteemed guest! Welcome to Castle...Castle..." He turned to the others. "What did we name this place again?"

"We didn't name it," the sternest of the group said.

"Careful, Samael," Tamiel said. "You'll be accused of ruining the fun again."

"None of this is supposed to be fun," Samael said. "We all have a job to do."

"Ivory Schnee, yes?" Azazel said. "How would you like to name our castle? It does move quite often, depending on where it is we gather, corresponding to the physical world, anyway."

"What do you want from me?" Ivory said.

"That's a strange one. Castle What Do You Want From Me. I think it has too many syllables."

Some of the Greater Daemons chuckled.

"Azazel," Samael said, his voice echoing.

"S-Sorry," Azazel said, clearing his throat. "Miss Ivory Schnee, thank you for joining us. You will discover your purpose soon enough, but first, please, enjoy your stay at our castle."

Two maids appeared to either side of Ivory, offering her food and drink.

"I assure you that those are perfectly safe to consume. We may be in the world you call the Labyrinth, but this bubble of reality is perfectly under our control. This world is quite malleable to beings such as ourselves, after all."

"I appreciate your hospitality, but I hope you understand if I don't quite trust you."

"A shrewd girl you are. I expected this response. Eisheth, Tamiel, would you two beautiful ladies mind escorting her to her room?"

Tamiel giggled while Eisheth let out a sigh.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Azazel," Eisheth said.

"Oh, don't be like that. You should enjoy yourself a little more. Like Tamiel!"

"Yes, yes."

"Ivory, yes?" Tamiel said. "I am Tamiel, this is Eisheth. Will you come join us?"

The behavior of these Greater Daemons was quite unnerving to Ivory, but she had no choice in the matter. She was in a room with eight beings that possessed the power to shape reality around them in the Labyrinth. There was absolutely no escape for her. Resisting would only result in unnecessary harm.

"You have quite the control over your fight and flight response," Eisheth said, leading the way upstairs. "I'm impressed."

"I know which battles to fight and which ones to let go of," Ivory said.

"I assure you, we aren't here to fight you. If we were, you'd have known about it by now."

"You mean how you sent that crony of yours to kidnap me?"

"You must understand," Tamiel began, "we cannot maintain our physical forms in your world just yet. Not for long, anyway. We unfortunately have to resort to such tactics as hiring those from your world to do our bidding. Otherwise, I would have collected you myself and I assure you that your treatment would have been much better."

"Did Tyrian harm you, by the way?" Eisheth asked.

"Nothing beyond the superficial when he yanked me off the ground," Ivory said.

"Ah, here's your room," Tamiel said. "You're free to roam around the castle if you wish. Simply call out for a maid if you need anything. Like this. Maid!"

The same shadowy maids appeared beside them.

"You can easily dismiss them, too. We no longer require your services."

The maids bowed before dissipating.

"Why are you being so friendly to me?" Ivory asked.

"Do we have a reason not to be friendly?" Eisheth said.

"I can give you a tour of the castle if you like," Tamiel said.

"No, thank you," Ivory said. "I think I will rest."

"All right. We'll be downstairs if you need anything, okay?"

They both vanished before her eyes. She wondered if they were still in the room with her. Regardless, she immediately got to work, heading to the window first and looking around. It was no good. The landscape kept morphing intermittently, making it impossible to form a map in her head. She headed to the door, peeking in both directions of the hallway before stepping out, maintaining stealth as she headed back downstairs.

She passed by the main hall, where the Greater Daemons were gathered around a table. She continued on, ignoring the wails of the imprisoned people and Corrupted as she hurried to the exit. She threw the front door open, stopping after taking only three steps through the threshold. She was back at the beginning of the long entrance corridor. She turned around. The grand hall was right there.

"Are you lost, by any chance?"

Ivory gasped, turning around to face a man dressed all in black. She turned back around, counting only seven Greater Daemons at the table, one short of the eight she counted earlier. She turned around again, facing the unfamiliar being.

"Oh, I apologize for my rude behavior. I am Ba'al. I noticed you were wandering aimlessly just now. Are you looking for a tour of the castle?"

At this moment, Ivory gave up all prospects of escape. Whatever was going on in this place, there was nothing she could do about it. The illusion of freedom they had granted her was quite effective in shattering the hope that she once possessed.

—

"This is freaky," Lilly said, passing by dungeon cells, noticing the shift in the prisoners held within. She gasped as she realized what they were. "Lilith! Are these...?"

_Yeah. They're Corrupted. I wasn't lying to you when I told you that they're people._

"But..."

_People get lost in their own personal hells. It just happens. I told you, there's nothing we can do about it. The best thing you can do for them is to put them out of their misery like we did with Demetri's friends._

Lilly clenched her fists, gritting her teeth.

_This is too much for you. I'll take over from here._

"Wait—"

"There we go."

_Lilith!_

"Relax, I'm not gonna go do anything stupid. You can't keep your head on straight with all these guys to the left and right of us, so just ride shotgun for a while."

Lilith advanced quietly, sticking to shadows in this dark castle. There didn't seem to be any guards around, but there was quite the powerful magical barrier. It took a big chunk of her magic just to keep from alerting whomever had erected it. Even now, the space around her felt oppressive to the core. The place seemed to want to eject her outright, but she was able to resist it to some extent.

She reached the great hall, where a sudden weight forced her to her knees. She struggled to rise, getting herself to a small alcove in the corridor.

_Lilith, what's wrong?_

_What do you mean what's wrong? You don't feel that?_

_Feel what? And why are you talking in our head?_

_Because if I say anything out loud, they'll hear us._

_They?_

Lilith peeked into the great hall, giving Lilly a view of the eight individuals seated at a table.

_What are they supposed to be?_

_Greater Daemons._

_W-What?_

_Yeah. One on one, we might be able to fight, but eight on one and we're done for. Those assholes are nasty. We Wraiths get a bad rap all the time, but we've got nothing on those bastards. Hell, even the Lesser Daemons, despite how fugly they are, aren't even as bad._

_C-Can we get out of here?_

_Hang on. I'm sensing something. Let's go._

Lilith headed upstairs, stopping at the point where her sensations were pointing.

_Here, in this room._

She opened the door, only to be shocked by what she saw.

"What the hell?" she mumbled.

Ivory turned around to face her, standing up from the bed.

_Ivory!_

Lilith began to ball her fists. Her eyes transformed, the light brown hazel irises replaced by that flaming golden halo, but Lilly was quick to recognize the building anger and seized control over her body once more.

_Hey! What?_

"I'm sorry, Lilith," Lilly said. "You're right, I can't control myself around all those Corrupted, but you have the same problem with Ivory."

_Ugh. Screw you._

"Lilly?" Ivory said.

"Ivory!" Lilly said before correcting herself and lowering the volume. "What happened? I just sent you back to the real world!"

"Huh?"

"You know, with Leon? And Yuan? And Astor?"

"Lilly...that was months ago."

"Huh? But how...oh, the time difference."

"How long has it been for you?"

"Like, an hour?"

She sat back down on the bed. "Amazing. So, back in December, it was the future you—this you—who got me out of the Labyrinth."

"After almost beating you to death," she said coyly.

Ivory recalled her cousin talking to herself. "But...that wasn't you, was it?"

"We have a lot to catch up on. But yeah, that was Lilith."

"Lilith?"

"Another me."

"Wait. As in, like, a Wraith-Knight?"

"Wraith-Knight? No, she's just a Wraith."

_She must be talking about Yuan. He's got a Wraith-Knight awakened in him._

"Oh. What's a Wraith-Knight, then?"

"Are you talking to Lilith right now?" Ivory asked.

"Y-Yeah, sorry."

_Tell her I said to go fuck herself._

"Why do I suddenly feel a cold stare coming from somewhere?" Ivory said.

_Ha! Good!_

"U-Umm, anyway," Lilly began, "what are you doing here?"

"I have no idea. The Greater Daemons had me brought here and I tried to leave, but there must be something magic happening because when I walked through the front door, I was back at the beginning of the hallway."

"Huh. I have magic, so I should be able to do something about that. Have you tried the window?"

"It's no good. The environment out there shifts around like everything's on quicksand."

"We might have no choice but to go through the front door. C'mon, let's go."

"Wait, are you sure it's okay?"

"As long as no one runs into us on our way down."

Not wanting to stay in this castle anymore, Ivory followed her elder cousin down the hall and then down the spiral staircase. Lilly took point the whole time, giving Ivory signals to advance whenever the coast was clear. At some point, Lilly held out a hand and Ivory searched for a place they could hide, finding a small pantry and motioning for her cousin to get in with her. They watched through a crack in the door as two knights in full armor passed by.

"So they do have guards," Ivory whispered. "I never saw any until now, though."

"Lilith's saying it might be an increase in security because they might have detected us, but she's not sure," Lilly said. "The whole magic of this place is still kinda wonky."

They waited for a moment before leaving their hiding place, continuing downstairs and stopping at the great hall, where the eight Greater Daemons had gathered earlier. Lilly peeked past the doorway, staying in the darkness. They were no longer there.

"I hope they haven't detected us," Lilly said, leading the way through the entry hall. She gritted her teeth, fighting to ignore the cries and screams of the people in the cells to either side of her, each one in the process of transforming into Corrupted.

_Need me to take over again?_

"No, I'm fine," Lilly said.

_Don't trust me not to kill that bitch?_

"The way you talk about her, absolutely not."

_Psh. Relax. I've already forgiven and forgotten._

"You're such a liar."

_You're right. I am a liar. And also, my distraction worked. Check it out._

Lilly scanned the courtyard as they exited the castle. The distorted threshold between this place and the surrounding general Labyrinth appeared almost like a desert mirage, bending the images beyond like an organic prism.

They were halfway across the courtyard when Lilly stopped.

"What's wrong?" Ivory said as Lilly turned around, a glare masking her face. She followed her cousin's gaze, gasping as she looked upon three of the Greater Daemons.

"Stealing is not nice, you know," Azazel said to them. He was flanked by Tamiel and Asmodeus. The others were nowhere to be found.

"You know kidnapping is against the law!" Lilly spat back.

"Ooh, wait a minute, I recognize you. Oh, yes, there's no doubting that resemblance. You've come to rescue your little cousin, have you, Lilly Schnee? Unfortunately, I can't let you do that. We have things planned for her."

"Things?" Ivory said.

"Yes, quite grand plans, I might add. Tell me, Ivory. Have you ever in your life fathomed what it would be like to possess the powers of a god?"

"What?" Lilly said.

"Exactly what do you mean by that?" Ivory said.

"Well, everything was supposed to be done little by little, of course. Oh, and with your consent. We don't make it a habit of going around forcing people to do things."

"Is that why you caused the destruction of Kuroyuri?" Lilly yelled.

"That was...unfortunate collateral damage. We are trying to bring about a revolution here."

"Revolution?"

"Yes. To break the shackles which bind us all."

"How exactly do you plan to do that?" Ivory said.

"Oh, you know, a little ritual here, a bit of sacrifice there. In all of human history, no revolution has ever taken place without shedding a single drop of blood, you know."

_He's not gonna let us leave._

"What was that?"

Lilly felt a drop of sweat roll down her chin. Lilith did not speak again, but both girls were sure that he had heard her. Ivory was thinking the same thing and kept her mouth shut.

"I think I understand," Azazel said. "In any case, I can't let you take her from us. We need her cooperation if we are to accomplish our goals."

Lilly drew Myrtenaster as Ivory drew Elfenbein.

"I want you to get as far away from here as you can," Lilly said.

"Don't be a fool," Ivory said. "There is no way I can survive out there without your magic keeping my existence stable. This is not my first Labyrinth mission, you know."

Her younger cousin was right. There was no telling what would happen to her outside of this anomaly or whether or not she would even be able physically pass through the distortion.

"Okay, then," Lilly said, readying herself for a fight. Lilith had mentioned earlier that eight against one would be all but suicide, but perhaps three against two might be better odds.

"Tamiel?" Azazel said.

"You want _me_ to start the battle?" she said.

He shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"

She sighed heavily. "All right, then."

Tamiel moved with such speed that neither of the cousins could keep track of her. Lilly, with her superior speed and strength born from her rune magic, took on the role of fighting her in close range while Ivory kept her distance, assisting with glyphs.

"Tell me, master Azazel," Asmodeus began, "why is it that you are so fond of having Tamiel start so many battles when you have people like me at your disposal? I do control Wrath, after all. Make use of me."

"It's not the utility that I think about in these situations," Azazel said.

"Oh? What is it, then?"

"I just love to watch her."

Asmodeus looked at his leader, then back out to the fight, and then back to his leader. "I, uh..."

"Look at her. Isn't she so beautiful?"

"...I suppose so. I can't answer that. You're the only one between you and me who can make such a judgment."

He smiled, admiring the lines of Tamiel's body. "I think, after we're done here, that I'm going to take her out to dinner. In the real world, I mean."

"Have you discovered a way to maintain your bodies in the real world yet?"

"No, and that's why we're doing what we're doing, so that we might walk in the sunlight for longer than five minutes without dissolving into molecules and getting sucked right back here."

"Oh. I just...thought that...never mind."

"Look out!" Lilly yelled.

Ivory barely managed to put up a glyph, which shielded her from the explosive fireball attack Tamiel had sent her way, but the blast sent her flying backwards and she tumbled on the ground a few times. She got back on her feet, running to rejoin her cousin in the battle. She looked around. None of the other Greater Daemons had appeared yet. Were they just toying with them? At this point, anything could be possible especially given that eerily friendly treatment they had offered at the castle.

"I'm sure Azazel would have given you the offer, too," Tamiel said as she and Lilly clashed rapiers. "But then again, I guess you already have that Wraith inside you. You need to be empty for our plans."

"And what exactly are your plans?" Lilly grunted.

"He already told you. To be free."

"Free from what?"

"_Everything_."

Just then, Lilith took control, her eye color replaced by that golden flaming halo. Myrtenaster transformed into the blackened version of Caliburn and Tamiel instantly recognized the sword. It let out a pulse, hurling the Greater Daemon back to just in front of Azazel and Asmodeus.

"Is that what I think it is?" Azazel said.

"Yeah," Tamiel said. "Azazel, Asmodeus, I think it's time to stop screwing around."

"I agree," Asmodeus said, floating a few inches from the ground as his body was engulfed in a blackish aura.

Without giving them time to plan anything, Lilith drove Caliburn into the ground and seven indigo runes opened up on the ground all around her. Out of these runes emerged black knights of different designs, all of which immediately began attacking the three Greater Daemons.

"C'mon!" Lilith yelled, grabbing Ivory by the hand as they ran straight for the edge of the distortion. "They can buy us some time, but they won't last forever!" There was an explosion. "There's one!" There was a second explosion. "And another one!"

They passed through the distortion, stopping as they looked at their surroundings. They were no longer in Atlas.

"What?" Ivory said.

Lilith looked back. The castle was nowhere to be seen. "Holy shit, I think we warped all the way across the fucking planet!"

Ivory was taken aback by her cousin's foul mouth. "L-Lilly? Is that you?"

"Since when did you last hear Lilly say 'fuck', huh?"

"S-Sorry. You have her face and her hair, so—"

"Well, I guess I technically _am_ your cousin, just another aspect of her. The aspect of her that hates you. Really, really hates you."

Ivory swallowed hard. "...Are you going to try and kill me now?"

"I sure want to. But Lilly's yelling in my head not to touch you, so nah."

_I'm not yelling anything!_

"You are now, though!"

"This is going to be difficult to get used to," Ivory said.

"What? You don't talk to yourself?"

"Not really."

"You should try it sometime. It's pretty awesome."

_What? Like...what?_


	18. Chapter XVIII

CHAPTER XVIII

_Devil_

Azazel sighed as he conferred with his fellow Greater Daemons. He took his regular seat at twelve o'clock on their round table, a shape which he had chosen for the group in order to signify that none of them was greater than the other.

"Part of me wonders," Ba'al said as he took a seat. "Shouldn't this table be, well, at the very least, an oval?"

"Why an oval?" Asmodeus said.

"Well, I understand why Azazel wanted a circle, but still. I'm sure we all know that he truly is the head of this table. After all, he was the one who brought this whole group together and continues to hold it together. This whole ritual was his idea as well."

"I honestly can't tell whether you're trying to elevate me," Azazel began, "or you're mocking the symbolism of the table itself."

"No, I'm not trying to do either. I simply think it should represent the reality rather than a hope."

"I think I get where you're coming from, Ba'al, but did not this group come together for the purpose of hope itself? After all, we all gather with the hope of breaking the chains which bind us to our fates. This table represents a hope that we are all equals and that none of us rules over the other. It wouldn't make any sense for us to wish for freedom and yet to have one who lords over the group."

"Hmm. You make a strong defense for it."

Azazel smiled at him. "Anyway, before we get on with our business...Belial, it is wonderful that you could join us today. I hope I speak for everyone else when I say that I have missed your...feminine? Masculine beauty? Which is it today?"

Belial smiled. "We Greater Daemons don't possess the concept of sex or gender, my dear Azazel."

"Yes, yes, I realize that, but most of us pick one or the other and stick with it. You and Mammon and Malphas, on the other hand, continuously flip between them. With Mammon and Malphas, I understand, since neither of them possess a physical body whatsoever, but you _choose_ to be both."

"I thought you of all people would understand, Azazel. Both men and women are equally beautiful."

"Well, I don't disagree, but, well, pronouns and all that."

"Why are we getting hung up on this?" Samael said, his voice booming. "If pronouns are the issue, then let us refer to Belial as Belial and no other way if you're so bewildered by it."

Azazel put up his hands in surrender, dropping the issue. "Okay, we have mostly everyone here today, from twelve o'clock to eleven, we have myself, Samael, Ashtaroth, Ba'al, Asmodeus, Mammon in incorporeal form, Belial in...ambiguous form, Moloch, an empty seat, Malphas in incorporeal form, Eisheth, and Tamiel." He scratched his head vigorously before raising his voice in frustration. "We really have no leads on where the hell Kokabiel can possibly be?"

"She's been missing since we crossed over," Tamiel said. "We've scoured the entire planet and there isn't a trace of her existence anywhere."

"I have all of my Lesser Daemons on the lookout in every one of the five kingdoms," Eisheth said. "Mammon and Malphas, you haven't picked up on her at all? You both are spread across entire regions."

"Nothing from me," Mammon said.

"Menagerie is also devoid of her presence," Malphas said.

The group looked at the two humanoid clouds of smoke sitting at their seats. Mammon's figure was colored with a greenish tint while Malphas appeared with a blue-gray hue.

"Not even Vacuo, huh?" Azazel said to Mammon.

"If she were here, I would have already noticed her," Mammon answered.

Azazel sighed heavily. "Okay, then, well, there's nothing we can do about that. If she got stuck in some kind of void between our home world and this world, well, let's just hope she's capable of freeing herself."

"You're not going to suggest we try and rescue her?" Ashtaroth said.

"Not yet. We don't have the means to and neither do we even know where she is. There's literally nothing we can do about it right now, but the moment any of you sniff out her presence, that's when we'll move."

"On to actual business," Samael said. "The three of you lost the girl."

"Look," Azazel said, scratching his head, but offering no explanation.

"I'm not saying that they outwitted us," Asmodeus said, "but they may have gotten around our defenses."

"Hey, I had my hands full with that Wraith, all right?" Tamiel said. "The two of you boys did enjoy the show, though, didn't you?"

Azazel smiled. "Oh, very much so."

"Was it worth it, then?" Samael said. "Losing the only possible alternative to the Winter Maiden just so you could enjoy watching Tamiel dance?"

"So you finally admit that it's like dancing!"

"Azazel."

"S-Sorry." He cleared his throat. "She didn't get away from us. Everything is going according to plan. Ivory Schnee is now in close proximity to the Nexus of Remnant. If she stays within its influence long enough, we may not need to keep the Winter Maiden alive any longer. Ashtaroth, what's the status on her?"

"Dr. Watts is working on alternatives to the current technology," he began, "but human technology is somewhat lacking, especially on this world, and without access to the Nexuses of the old world, our options are rather limited. She is, however, still biologically alive, and her Maiden power continues to persist within what remains of her flesh and her soul."

"Is there any way for us to collect the Spring Maiden?"

"Eventually, we should be able to capture her. Not while she maintains the advantage in the real world, however. Thus far, the only person in our entire organization who can rival her power without being in the World of Shadow is Cinder Fall."

"Is the Winter Maiden's treatment going well?"

"Yes. The intense physical pain she experiences because Dr. Watts's machine will not permit her death has caused her to regress into herself. It took nearly two decades for her will to break, but she has finally retreated into her own mind."

"You're saying that a projection of her psychosis has manifested into the World of Shadow."

"As the mortals of this world would say, she now has a Labyrinth active. We've worked to sequester it from the collective Labyrinth of mankind, however. No one should stumble into it without our say. I am also actively modifying her Labyrinth to increase her bond with Ivory Schnee so that when the time comes, she can relinquish the power of the Winter Maiden to her."

"After you've tempted the girl, of course," Eisheth said to Azazel.

"No human is beyond temptation," Azazel said, kicking up his feet on the table. "Everyone has something they want or something they need to protect. Look at those kids who have already said yes to those Wraith-Knights."

"What do we do about them, by the way?"

"For now, nothing. They can't do anything about our plans in the real world. And even if they were to try and interfere with our work within the World of Shadow, each one of us is much more powerful than incomplete beings of magic. After all, only half of each Wraith-Knight made it through the gate."

"We can't underestimate them, though," Asmodeus said.

"I'm not saying we should underestimate them. I'm saying that right now they are no threat, and that they may also be of some use to us. As I said, no human is beyond temptation. Each of you controls one of the great sins of humanity, do you not? I think it's time to focus on them instead of simply spreading it across the planet."

The group turned to one of their members, who was chewing on the table.

"Moloch?" Azazel said. "Are you...hungry?"

Moloch looked at the table, realizing he was slobbering all over it. He backed away quickly, leaning as far back in his chair as possible.

"You really haven't taken control over it, have you?" Belial said.

"I'd like to see _you_ try and control Gluttony itself," Moloch grumbled.

"I control Lust and you don't see me attempting to fuck everything that moves. Although, I suppose I wouldn't mind it."

"You mock me, but I don't think you realize just how irritating it is to have this intensely idiotic voice in my head constantly screaming '_I'm hungry!_' all the bloody time."

"That was a frighteningly accurate impression of that creature," Ba'al said.

Moloch sighed heavily.

"In any case," Azazel said, "you wanna have another shot at those kids?"

"And have my body fall apart again? Thank you, but no."

"Dr. Watts has completed your new body for you," Ashtaroth said.

"You mean like the last body he prepared for me? The one that literally had flesh dripping from my bones?"

"You've seen the new Übersoldaten, haven't you? Those are perfectly capable of housing the essence of a Lesser Daemon and allowing it to persist in the real world indefinitely."

"A Lesser Daemon, Ashtaroth. We are no Lesser Daemons. It takes _much more_ to contain us in physical bodies. Asmodeus and Ba'al got lucky with their vessels. I don't see anyone else sitting at this table who can maintain a physical body in the real world for longer than—_hungry!_"

The entire group watched in shock as he began chomping on their table, his mouth growing to ghastly proportions as he chewed all the way to the center. He stopped mid-bite, sighing heavily as he regained control over his body.

"I really wish I could separate myself from this fucking thing and beat it to death and revive it over and over again for all eternity," he said, returning to his seat and letting himself fall on it with another heavy sigh, slouching.

"Are you just gonna leave the table one-third eaten like that?" Tamiel said with a chuckle. "It seems like such a waste of food."

"Shut up," Moloch said before waving his hand and restoring the table to its original state with his magic.

"It's settled," Samael said. "Moloch, you and Ashtaroth confer with Dr. Watts on a new body for you, one capable of housing your essence in the real world. In the meantime, Malphas will continue to work within the continent of Menagerie in tandem with Asmodeus in Atlas. This war between the kingdoms is crucial to the success of this ritual. Are there any other questions?"

"What about me?" Mammon said.

"Your work in Vacuo is largely completed. I don't think there's anything anyone can do to prevent war between that country and Atlas. Vale and Mistral are likely to be drawn in as well given their alliances with the kingdoms."

"Tamiel and I will personally work on drawing out the Nexus at that mountain city in the Kingdom of Vale," Azazel said. "I believe they call it Mountain Glen, right?"

"I hear the summers there are beautiful," Tamiel said.

"I hope the two of you don't get distracted," Samael said.

"Me?" Azazel scoffed. "Distracted?"

"Yes."

"You have such little faith in me, Samael!"

"I do."

Tamiel giggled. "Worry not, Samael. I will make sure he gets his work done and on time."

"And then we can visit the hot springs!" Azazel said gleefully.

Samael let out a long sigh.

—

Ivory woke up to humming. She looked over at her elder cousin, who was drying off her hair with a towel.

"Oh, you're awake!" Lilly said.

"What time is it?" Ivory asked.

"Just past nine. I didn't wake you up cuz you looked super tired and it's a weekend so there's really nothing to do although I guess that doesn't really make any difference since we're not students at Shade Academy and we aren't exactly employed either." She took a deep breath.

"I'm quite impressed at your ability to string together that many words without a single pause."

Lilly giggled. "Are you hungry?"

"A bit."

"Good. Cuz we're gonna go have some breakfast with Ariadne and Demetri."

Demetri. She had been so tired the previous night that his presence barely registered in her mind, but they had shared a silent acknowledgement of each other. She got up out of bed, walking to the window. They were on the highest floor of the dorms at Shade Academy, their window facing the inner courtyard, the vast sprawl of parkland at the front of the massive ziggurat-like structure that served as the campus's main building, housing nearly all of the classrooms and training halls.

She gasped as a pair of arms wrapped around her from behind. Lilly trembled as she embraced her tightly. To Ivory, it was months ago that Lilith had tried to kill her, but that memory was fresh in Lilly's mind; she had just gone through it, after all.

"I'm sorry," Lilly sobbed. "I'm sorry for what I put you through in there. I know it was last year that it happened for you, but for me it was literally yesterday and I still feel my fists on your face and..."

Ivory turned around to face her cousin. "Lilly," she began, "I told you back then and I'll tell you again. _I'm_ the one who should be apologizing, not you. I'm the one who made your life a living hell growing up, remember?"

Lilly sniffled, wiping tears away. "That doesn't change what I did to you."

"Which I wholeheartedly deserved."

"No..."

Ivory stepped forward, giving her a tight embrace. Lilly returned the hug.

"It's good to know you've been okay all this time," Ivory said. "Everyone misses you, though."

Lilly nodded, backing away. "You know who's missed you?"

"Hmm?"

"Oh, c'mon. I know you saw him last night. You weren't in _that_ much of a daze. And besides, he sleeps across the room in the bunk under Ariadne's."

She reddened and Lilly grinned. "What are you smirking about, huh?"

"I'm not smirking!"

"You are."

"Nah-uh! Now, c'mon, let's take a break for the day. No Labyrinth business until tomorrow when we're all rested up."

Ivory watched as she rummaged through the closet, humming the same song from earlier.

"What song is that?" she asked her elder cousin.

"Hmm? Oh, it's that one song by Lyon's Pride. Do you listen to them?"

"I don't really listen to music that isn't classical."

"That's not surprising." She pulled out her scroll before playing the track. "It's called 'Like Morning Follows Night'. It's about someone who can't get close to other people cuz of the bad stuff she's done in the past and she doesn't wanna hurt anyone, but the other person won't leave her behind cuz he doesn't think it's right for anybody to walk alone and she's a really good friend to him so yeah."

"I like the musicality of it," Ivory said. "It's quite wholesome."

"Leon and Athena actually sang this song back during our Winter Formal last year. It was so awesome. The band even played at our school!"

"We all make mistakes, but we need to move on," Ivory repeated the line as it came up in the song.

"Yeah," Lilly said.

"I think that applies to both of us."

Lilly smiled before pulling out a dress for her to wear. "I think this'll look awesome on you!"

Ivory agreed on the pale green and white, joining her cousin in the closet. "What about this?" she said, pulling out a yellow sundress.

"Oooh, that one's pretty! Okay, I'll wear the yellow, you wear the green one, yeah?"

"Sure. I still can't get used to dresses, though. All I ever wore back home was my uniform."

"Same. I always wear jeans and a t-shirt, though. But I think mom would appreciate if we dressed up in style every now and then. Plus, I think these dresses are cute!"

—

Demetri saluted as Ivory and Lilly joined him and Ariadne down at the mess hall.

"I am no longer with Atlas," Ivory said. "There's no point in saluting me anymore, Demetri."

"Then, let that be my final salute as well," Demetri began, "since I, too, cannot consider myself Atlesian given their belligerence toward Vacuo."

"You've grown to love the people here, it seems."

"There is almost zero order to any of the happenings here, but I have found it to be liberating."

Breakfast was spent with much catching up between Ivory and Lilly. Though Ariadne had been coordinating with Dr. William Hillphire on the Labyrinth work their group had been conducting, it was different getting a firsthand account from one of the actual operatives on that side of the world.

"Lilly," Ivory said, interrupting their conversation.

"Hmm?" Lilly said. "What's up?"

"Do you mind if I...talk to Lilith for a while?"

_Why the fuck does she wanna talk to me?_

Lilly looked to the side. "I don't know."

_Fine. Sure. I guess. Whatever._

Lilly's eyes were accompanied by that golden halo of fire around her pupil, the outward expression of the deepest levels of magic, signifying Lilith's presence.

"What do you want?" she said.

Ivory opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated. A few moments of awkward silence passed over the group.

"Lilith," Ivory began. "I know you probably heard all this earlier, but I want to apologize to you, too. Lilly wasn't the only one I insulted while we were growing up. You've always been there, too, haven't you?"

Lilith leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I know you may never forgive me. After all, you seem to be the side of Lilly that's the diametric opposite of her, and I'll understand if you never forgive me. But, I just want you to know, that I do deeply regret my foul treatment of you over all these years. If I could take it all back, I—"

"But you can't take it back, can you?" Lilith said. "You can't go back in time and undo what's already been done."

Ivory looked down at the table. She was absolutely right. What's done is done. There was nothing she could do to erase the pain she had caused her cousin all this time.

"Great. Now Lilly is whining in my head to stop being mean." She shifted in her seat, leaning forward and resting her elbows against the table. "Look. Ice queen version two. I'm never gonna forgive or forget all that fucked up shit you did to me over all those years. Hell, I should be breaking your teeth right now."

Ivory sank even deeper into her seat.

"Fuck it. Ivory."

The younger of the two looked up into Lilith's glowing eyes. The light receded, allowing her light-brown hazels to show through again.

"Okay, let's leave it at this. I won't forgive you, but I also won't try to kill you anymore either."

Through the intended hostility in her words, Ivory could sense an attempt to reach out. It was more than she could hope for, that Lilly's darkest half would actually soften somewhat.

"Hey," Lilith said. "Don't think this makes us friends, okay? I'm still gonna fuck with you as much as I can, so if you trip on shit or find gum stuck to the bottom of your shoe or your shampoo gets replaced with hair remover—"

_Hey! What the fuck!_

"Okay, Lilith, that's enough," Lilly said, wresting control over her body.

_I was just getting to the good parts!_

Lilly smiled. She hid the thoughts as deeply as she could, but she knew Lilith could sense her pride in her for making an effort. It was a long road to forgiveness, understandable given the many years of torment, but it was a start.

"Lilly," Ivory began.

"Okay, that's enough of this stuff," Lilly said, sniffling and wiping a small tear that had formed. "Let's relax for the day cuz we've got some work to do tomorrow! Ivory, you've had good experience doing Labyrinth work, right?"

She nodded. "Teams LILY and APEX have liberated many personal Labyrinths since we started early this year. Yuan has led every excursion from the front, providing the whole team with magical enhancements and engaging the largest number of enemies all on his own."

"Good. This is gonna be really weird with just three of us, though."

"Ariadne is your control support, yes?"

Lilly nodded. "She's the one who tells us where to go and stuff. You should see all the awesome equipment she uses and oh she can even see where all the Corrupted are on her map cuz they all show some level of distortion and they show up cuz of that and she can even tell us where all the descents are located!"

"Descents? Don't forget to breathe, by the way."

She nodded vigorously. "Usually, it's the personal Labyrinths that drag you into the lower layers, but sometimes you can run into pitfalls and stuff and you suddenly end up in a lower layer without any warning."

"So random shifts in reality."

"Yeah."

"That explains why we experienced that a number of times even when we were nowhere near a personal Labyrinth."

"That other world tends to be inherently unstable," Ariadne said, pushing up her glasses. "Its malleability is what primarily contributes to the formation of Labyrinths in the first place."

"Right, which are nothing more than manifestations of people's minds," Ivory said.

"Precisely. It's the underlying principle behind how those Greater Daemons were able to form a castle and how Lilly and your friend's Wraith-Knight are able to force a stable reality around their vicinity. It's the same fundamental principle we've used in developing these reality anchoring runes you now carry around."

"I see."

Lilly stood up and stretched. "Let's go hit the bazaar!"

"Are you certain about that?" Demetri said. "Ivory is not one to go shopping and I think she may get lost in the crowd."

Ivory gave him a sour look and he smiled. "Since when did you learn to tease?"

He pointed to Lilly.

"Thanks a lot!" Lilly said, throwing her hands on her hips.

—

Cinder began to lose her patience as she awaited her audience. She and her group had been directed to this castle and forced to wait in their quarters and then the Greater Daemons had vacated, leaving no one here.

"At least we have lots of food and shit," Mercury said, eating a grape.

"Are you sure that's not gonna kill you?" Emerald said.

"I've been eating since we first came to this place. Hasn't killed me yet."

"Cinder, should we leave? I don't know if they'll be coming back any time soon. We do have things we need to do."

"I know," she said. "We'll give them some more time."

"But, ma'am."

"We accomplished what we went to Mistral for. By now, William Hillphire should be dead along with that boy Tyrian poisoned if they didn't get him to a hospital in time."

Still, Cinder couldn't sit still, not with the image of that boy's awakening to his Wraith-Knight. He would have certainly killed her if it hadn't been for her years of combat experience. She clenched her fists, irritated with the thought of a child overpowering her.

There was a knock on the door. Emerald opened it. A guard clad in a black suit of armor stood in the corridor.

"Master Azazel wishes to see all of you," the guard said.

"Finally," Mercury yawned, following Cinder out of the room.

Four of the Greater Daemons were present in the great hall today, which was bustling with activity, countless Lesser Daemons scurrying about. In contrast to the humanlike Greater Daemons, the Lesser were far more diabolic in appearance, taking the form of more traditional monsters of folklore.

One of the Lesser Daemons snarled at her as it passed by and she responded by allowing her Fall Maiden power to manifest itself in her eye.

"These guys are disgusting," Mercury said, passing by a group of Lesser Daemons feasting on some kind of meat. "I sure hope that's beef and not what I'm thinking."

Cinder recognized the four Greater Daemons conferring with one another. It was Tamiel and Eisheth, the only two women of the group, Samael, the serious one, and Azazel, their leader.

Azazel smiled as he ended their conversation, approaching Cinder instead.

"Here he goes," Samael said. "I'm going downstairs. Tamiel, Eisheth, please keep him in line."

"I'll do my best," Tamiel said with a smile.

"I'm counting on you, Eisheth."

Eisheth chuckled. "Don't trust these two?"

"Of course not." He disappeared.

"Cinder Fall," Azazel said, sizing her up and down. "You're still as beautiful as when I first laid eyes on you."

She tried to ignore his words, but there was something about these people that she couldn't quite put her finger on. Merely being here with them sent a chill up her spine. They looked human, certainly much more human than the Lesser Daemons which toiled all around them, and yet her hairs stood on end merely speaking to Azazel like this.

"So," he began, slowly circling her. "Have you reconsidered my offer? You've seen what Emerald and Mercury have been capable of since training with Ashtaroth. They can even bear runes now and use their power, whether in this world or yours. I thought you of all people would leap at the opportunity to increase your own power."

"What do you think you know about me?" she snarled, fighting to maintain her calm.

"I know that you nearly lost your life to a child."

Her anger overcame her unease and her Maiden power manifested itself through her eye before she struck him with a wave of fire. His whole body was engulfed in flame and he screamed as he thrashed about. When the flames dissipated, his screaming also died down, giving way to a smile.

"Do it again!" he said with elation.

Emerald and Mercury stared in shock while Cinder's anger continued to boil over.

"C'mon, why won't you set me on fire again? That hurt so much it felt _good_!"

"You're mocking me," Cinder growled.

"Never!" He sighed heavily. "Tamiel, she won't set me on fire again!"

"What do you want _me_ to do?" she chuckled.

"Well, I mean, _you_ have a Fire Rune on you right now, don't you?"

"We don't need runes to use magic," Eisheth said.

"Right. Of course. Um, so, Tamiel."

"You want me to burn you?" she said.

He nodded rapidly.

"Okay, okay."

She snapped her fingers and he was instantly ablaze, running around flailing while screaming his head off. When the flames died down, he stopped running, stooping over and panting.

"Wooo!" he yelled. "What a thrill!"

"You do this for fun?" Mercury asked, face painted with confusion.

"Yup. Wanna try it out?"

"I'll pass. I usually go for a jog if I'm bored."

"You're missin' out, kid. Anyway, Cinder." He paused. "Where were we? Oh, right. That proposal I made before. It still stands. I await your answer."

She looked to the side, pondering the choice. She had absolutely no idea what would greet her should she walk through this door, but she knew what she faced right this very moment. The sheer hatred for those youngsters overrode any caution she should have harbored when dealing with these people.

"Cinder," Emerald said quietly, standing beside her. "You don't have to do this. We don't know what the hell these guys have planned for the world."

"She has a valid point," Azazel said, leaning against a chair.

"Wait, why are you trying to talk her out of it?" Mercury said.

Azazel shrugged. "I don't think any of us can talk her out of it. She's already made up her mind." He locked eyes with Cinder. "Am I correct?"

"What do I have to do?" she asked.

He smiled. "The ritual is simple, really. Most deals with us are sealed with a kiss. We grant you whatever the hell it is you want, you write down your name in blood, and then you go off on your merry way. And then we collect payment later on down the line."

"What's the payment usually?" Mercury said.

"Varies. Sometimes your soul, sometimes one of your children. Other times it's just another favor in return for whatever it was we granted you."

"Sorta like a mafia deal."

Azazel snapped his fingers and pointed at him. "This man gets it."

"So, I kiss you and that's it?" Cinder said.

Azazel gazed at her deeply once more. "Oh, no, my dear. It takes much more than a kiss to seal this kind of deal. After all, I'm not simply granting you some wish. You and I will become one. You shall obtain all of my power. Combined with the power you already possess, you shall become omnipotent, whether in your world or in this one."

"Wait," Mercury said. "So, like, you two are gonna..."

He nodded slowly.

Cinder turned away, balling her fists. The thought of having to do such a deed with someone like him made her skin crawl. But it was a price she was willing to pay. She could never afford to be weak ever again. Being a woman in this cruel world was bad enough. Weakness made her a victim to everyone and everything around her.

She vowed that would never be the case anymore. Not as long as she drew breath.

"If it makes you feel any better," he said from beside her, "it won't hurt. I promise. In fact, it will probably be the greatest ecstasy you will have ever experienced in your life. What you mortals find pleasurable, our kind transcends. Your mind cannot even begin to fathom the sensations that we have explored over uncountable millennia."

"What do I get out of this deal?" she said.

"As I said, you and I will be as one. My power and authority shall be yours, to wield as you see fit."

She thought about it, but not for long enough. The power he wielded was near-godlike. To her, that was intensely seductive.

"All right," she said.

"Hmm? Is that a yes?"

"Yes. I accept your proposal."

He smiled at her, caressing her face with his fingers. His touch sent lightning and fire throughout her body and she crumpled to the ground, her legs trembling.

"Cinder!" Emerald yelled, but she stood her ground.

Cinder panted as she tried to wrap her mind around what those sensations were just now. Her legs were still quivering, her vision unfocused.

"That's just a sample," Azazel said, squatting in front of her. "I promise the real thing will be even more exquisite."

He reached out and put a finger to her chin, seemingly lifting her back up to her feet with that light touch alone. She was still heaving, even as he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. Again, her whole body was filled with euphoria and ecstasy, the likes of which she thought was impossible.

"And now it's my turn to keep my end of the deal," Azazel said before pressing his hand to the left side of her face, right over where her eye used to be. She began screaming as Tamiel tore off her left arm, which was made of Grimm flesh even to this day. Emerald drew her weapons to defend her friend, but Eisheth barred her path.

"Do not interfere with the ritual," she said. "If you do, there's no telling what may happen to her."

"Let's just keep our distance," Mercury said to his partner. "We kinda have zero leverage. Cinder knows what she's doing."

Cinder continued to scream as something burned in the left side of her skull. After discarding her Grimm arm, Tamiel walked over to Azazel, tearing off his left arm as well before replacing Cinder's missing arm with it. She fell to the ground, panting and shivering. Whatever had just happened, it was the greatest amount of pain she had ever felt in her life, as if something was invading her very soul and impregnating it with a horror beyond imagination. There was a pit in her stomach, as if she had just violated some law of nature.

She noticed something strange. Her vision was complete again, a sensation she had not felt in years. She moved her hair out of the way, covering her right eye. She was able to see from the left side again. Her left arm was also no longer black and grisly. It was human. Fully human—

She screamed, falling backwards as she looked at her left hand, whose appearance was ghastly, covered with sores and boils and insects that chewed on her flesh. She looked up at Azazel and Tamiel, shrieking once more at their horrible figures before turning to Emerald and Mercury, who stared at her without a clue what to do.

"That's your eye, isn't it?" Tamiel asked Azazel.

"Mm-hmm," he said. "And my arm."

"Makes sense."

"What do you mean?" Mercury asked as Cinder hid herself in Emerald's arms.

"She's seeing through Azazel's eye," Eisheth said. "This permits her to view what is normally invisible to mortal eyes. Of course, because it's only one eye, she can see both the truth and the façade all at once."

Emerald could not believe her ears as Cinder sobbed and whimpered. Never had she heard such pitiful sounds come from the mouth of the Fall Maiden. Azazel neared them and when Cinder turned to look into his face, she screamed once more before vanishing, reappearing across the room.

"What the?" Mercury said.

"How did she do that?" Emerald said.

"I told you," Azazel said, placing his hands in his pockets. "She possesses my power. Tamiel, you're the only one who can mask your true form in its totality. Do you mind bringing her back here?"

"For you, I'll do anything," she said with a smile.

"Oooh, this is bad. I have to choose between you and Cinder tonight? This truly is hell we inhabit."

Tamiel vanished, approaching Cinder with a complete veil over her true form so as not to terrify her.

"Cinder," she said, her voice as soothing as possible as she reached out to her. "Be not afraid."

Cinder looked up at her. She could no longer see that terrifying visage, but she could never forget how it appeared.

"Come, now. This cannot be the great and terrible Cinder Fall. You're too strong to be scared by a few Halloween masks, are you not?"

Cinder swallowed hard, steeling herself before taking Tamiel's hand and standing up. They vanished together, reappearing among the group. Cinder nearly lost her balance upon seeing both Azazel and Eisheth, but she remained steadfast.

"If it's too much for you," Azazel said, "I can have an eye patch made for you, one with the runic inscription necessary to block your vision from that eye."

"N-No," she said, calming her nerves as she acclimated to their ghastly appearance. "I don't need your help."

He smiled. "That's my girl." He held out a hand. "Now, I've fulfilled my end of the bargain. It's your turn."

She looked down at his hand, trying to ignore the open sores and critters chewing on his flesh. _They're not real_, she told herself. _This is all just an illusion because of this new eye._ She tentatively reached out, stopping midway before finally committing.

"There we go," Azazel said, his voice unnervingly soothing.

"Can I join you two?" Tamiel said.

"You know the ritual must remain untainted, Tamiel. That said, I don't mind if you're the one who serves as our witness."

"I promise I'll behave," she said with a smile.

"We'll all bear witness," Eisheth said with a sigh. "I don't want Samael taking his frustration out on the rest of us if things go south."

"W-Wait," Mercury said. "Emerald and I have to _watch_?"

"You don't enjoy watching?" Tamiel said with a smirk.

"No," Emerald said sternly.

"I don't think we have a choice," Mercury said quietly.


	19. Chapter XIX

CHAPTER XIX

_Heart_

"Liam! Liam! Look at what I've gathered for you!"

Hillphire turned to Penny, who had a massive bouquet of flowers of all types. He scratched his head, chuckling.

"I don't know if I can carry all of that back to the Forge," he said.

Penny tilted her head. "Hmm. I'll carry them, then! There's plenty of space to plant a new garden around the building. I made sure to extract each of the plants very carefully so as not to damage the root systems! After all, without delicate handling, it's really easy to destroy plants."

"I'm glad you've found something you like doing."

"I saw that Weiss likes to take care of her own garden, so I thought I'd try and do the same!"

_Liam..._

"We have another job from the Mistral Council, Liam. It looks like there's a bunch of Grimm that appeared in the countryside really close to Kuroyuri. Ren and Nora have requested our assistance."

"Let's get a move on, then. I'll get in touch with Jerry and Sara and Ariel. Maybe we could grab some lunch with the old friends before we head back, too."

_...Liam..._

"Hey! Not there! Ohh, no, Liam's gonna be really annoyed!"

"Sorry, Penny."

"Goodness. I said the electron microscope is supposed to be on the south side of the building and the x-ray machine is supposed to be on the east! And you guys painted all over the wall! Liam had notes scribbled on the walls!"

_...Where..._

Penny hung on to each of her memory fragments, but they were fading rapidly. Patches were missing here and there and she wasn't sure when each one occurred anymore. There were days with Ruby and their old friends from that Vytal Festival before her match with Pyrrha, and also days from the war when she was honored with a place on Team JNPR.

_...Who..._

She was back in the labs, now, one of her oldest memories. She was still under construction at the time, but she had been considered a miracle even back then.

"This one. Doctor, this one. This unit has succeeded in constructing an aura."

"Interesting. Only those with souls are capable of projecting an aura, is that not the case?"

"Surely you can't believe that this machine possesses a soul."

"I am a scientist. I don't make judgments on belief, only what I can observe. Whether it is the case that this machine has a soul or our previous understanding of aura has been mistaken until now is yet to be determined."

_...What am I?_

The crowds fell silent as Penny's own swords were redirected back at her, slicing her body into bits. Error messages flashed everywhere, completely filling her vision until everything went black, her main power supply destroyed. Auxiliary power routing failed, switching to batteries. Those would only last for a few minutes, however. Her systems were not configured to properly manage such a catastrophic level of damage.

Was this what it felt like to die?

She waited for the nothingness, but all that came was the gradual fading of the sounds of the surrounding Amity Arena. The next sensation to go was the touch of the metal floor. Balance itself would soon abandon her followed by every bit of her consciousness until all that was left was her awareness in a total void. There was no walking for she had no legs with which to walk. No sounds came from her mouth. In this blackness existed only her thoughts.

She tried to count the seconds at first, a trivial task for a machine. And then the minutes. The hours. Days. Weeks.

Months.

Years.

Eternity.

That was the only thing she could compare this to, an eternity of absolute solitude. She had only just made a friend in Ruby Rose, only just experienced what it might feel like to be human, and all of that was taken away from her.

She felt no anger. There was only sadness and loneliness.

She would never see another human smile, never hear another human voice, not until the eventual heat death of the universe, which wouldn't be for another billions of years.

She began walking now, marching steadily toward...somewhere. Nowhere.

Nothing.

There was nothing here.

Nothing but her thoughts in a perfect, empty void.

"Who are you?"

She turned around, but she had no body with which to do so. And yet, she saw a face, one she had never seen before.

"My name is Penny," she said, her own voice surprising her.

"Penny?"

She nodded, looking down at herself. She had a body again, but she was in pieces, pieces that floated around to form something that at least somewhat resembled a human figure.

"My name is Bedivere. I...don't know how I'm reaching you, but I am standing right next to you right now. Do you feel this?"

She looked down at her right hand. There was nothing there, but she felt another human hand clasping hers.

"I do," she said.

"Penny, know that you are not alone. I have a friend who is doing everything he can to get you out of this place. I swear it, you will walk in the light once more."

She looked down at the void below her feet.

"Do you have faith, Penny?"

She turned to him and nodded. "I do. I have faith."

"Good. I will see you when you come to in the real world, okay?"

"Okay."

She found herself in a perfect void once more, but she never lost faith. She could see his face and hear his voice even now, the warmth in his light-brown hazel eyes keeping her company even as the perfect blackness surrounded her.

_All right, hammer drill, please._

That wasn't his voice. It was another. Could that be the friend he had spoken of?

_That's her left arm. This is the right side of the table. Okay, I'm glad you understand now._

There were flashes of light.

_Jerry, could you please get out of the way? No, I'm not trying to be mean. You're literally in the way of my engineering team. Sara, could you and Ariel get him out of here? Thanks, you guys are the best._

Something flashed in her vision, something she hadn't seen in a long time.

**Booting...**

Her self-awareness expanded and she found herself with a complete body again, but still stuck in the void.

_All right, defragmentation is complete. System checks are still ongoing. We have a lot to clean up in there, but we'll get it done. Is the new Dust reactor ready? We have her hooked up to the wall, but we can't keep her like this forever._

She began walking around in this emptiness, and yet it was no longer empty for she could freely move within this space.

_You all might want to take a look at this. Do you see these patterns?_

_Is she dreaming?_

_That's an interesting question._

She walked around endless fields of flowers of all types. The sun's warmth was so soothing, the perfect complement to the cool breeze on her skin.

_This is amazing. Her BIOS is reconfiguring itself. There must be some kind of subroutine that we don't have access to._

"Okay, Team APEX, you're up. All four of you are gonna attack me at once, is that clear?"

"But, Penny-senpai," Xanthus said.

"What's wrong? You're not afraid of me, are you?"

"Hell no!" Athena said, readying her spear before attacking first.

_Is everything stable?_

_Yeah, it looks like you actually succeeded, young man._

_I only did the best I could given what I knew at the time. I'm relieved I could contribute, but from here on, it's entirely up to her. Her neural network is much more sophisticated than her old computer and this is, for all intents and purposes, no different from neurosurgery. Any misstep might lead to us losing her forever._

"Hello, everyone!" Penny greeted the newest students at Beacon Academy. "My name's Penny and I'll be your tour guide today!"

She had an entire group of students with her for this tour, but there were only a handful who commanded her absolute attention. The fact that they were now congregated in the back of the group touched her heart. Leon and Ingrid had grown up together, but Lilly Schnee was with them as well, even though she had never met them until now.

_Glaubst du an das schicksal?_

Penny turned around to face him again after so long since the last time she had heard his voice.

"Bedivere, is that really you?"

"What are you doing stuck in this place again, Penny?"

"Huh?"

"I thought Hillphire had brought you back from the dead."

"Oh. Oh, that. Yeah, I had another booboo."

He chuckled. "You've been through worse, haven't you?"

"I guess you got a point."

"So get up, then. What are you still doing in this place? You don't belong here, you know."

"What about you?"

"Penny. I'm dead. Have you forgotten?"

"Does this mean I'm dead, too?"

"Don't be silly. If you were dead, would you be talking to me right now?"

"But you just said..."

"The dead speak nothing, Penny. We only live on in your memories and in the legacies we leave behind."

She looked down at the ground. "Yeah." She turned back up to face him. "I know you're not really you, but...if you really were you, I just wanna let you know that...that I think you'd be proud."

"Of Lilly?"

She nodded. "She takes after you so much, even though she's never met you."

He smiled. "Go. This is not yet your time."

"What about you?"

"I'll be right here when you need me again, tucked away safely in your memories."

"Is it okay for me to go, though?"

"Of course it is. Out there is where you belong, after all."

"Only if you're sure."

He walked to her, giving her the warmest embrace she remembered ever having. "I'm absolutely sure. Lilly and the others still need you."

She sobbed, closing her eyes as she rested her head on his chest. "Weiss misses you so much."

"Someday we'll meet again."

"I wish I could believe that."

"Then, believe it. Hurry up, now. The living still need you."

She nodded, allowing herself to be taken by the bright light that overcame this pitch blackness within her mind. When the light subsided, she looked around. She was drowsy, but she could make out the bright overhead lights. At the peripheries of her vision were several system checklists.

Muffled voices sounded to either side of her. She tried moving her head, but nothing was responding. She glanced over to the left. There were employees in lab coats, people she did not recognize.

"Penny?"

She looked to the right. She could finally move her head and neck.

"Can you hear me?"

She tried to speak, but neither her lips nor her vocal cords responded to her commands.

"If you can hear me, blink twice for yes, once for no. Can you blink?"

She blinked twice.

"Okay, do you recognize who I am?"

Two blinks.

"Oh, thank god," Xanthus said, exhaling heavily. He leaned against her repair bay, silent for a while. The other technicians were quiet, waiting for him.

"I think you did it," one of the engineers said.

"Good work, young man," another said. "You've saved her life."

"The monitors are showing negligible levels of fragmentation. There is zero damage to her personality that we can detect, but a few errors in her memory. Still...this is amazing. It seems as though her neural network is repairing itself without our input at all."

"That is the nature of a neural network," Xanthus said. "For all intents and purposes, it is no different from a human brain." He scanned the monitor next to her head. "Penny, it looks like you're reconfiguring everything yourself. And...from what I'm seeing, your vocal systems should be online right now."

"I'm..." she began, "I'm seeing the same thing."

He smiled. "Did you have any awareness of the passage of time?"

She shook her head. "I saw a lot of old memories. And a lot of darkness. Loneliness. But I stopped counting the seconds the last time I saw your face."

"That was a little over a month ago, Penny."

"A whole month," she echoed as she closed her eyes. She rested for a while, allowing her mind to regain clarity when she quickly shot up in her bay. "Liam!" she yelled before prying herself loose from her binds and falling to the ground. She panted, breaking her fall with her hands. She looked at both limbs, which were whole.

"Penny, wait," Xanthus said, kneeling beside her and draping his lab coat over her bare skin. "Your systems are still recalibrating to your new body."

"I'm fine," she said with determination. "Where is Liam?"

"Give yourself time to adjust. I'll take you to him once everything is finished."

She turned to him.

"I said I would save him. And I did."

She let out a heavy sigh of relief before sitting upright on the cold ground, clutching his lab coat closely to her body. She stared at the metal tiles for a while, still trying to sort out everything in her head. The system messages persisted in her peripheral vision. She took conscious control over the priority list and reordered balance and motion at the top. Once those were finished calibrating, she reached out to Xanthus, grasping his hand as she worked her way to her feet with his assistance.

With every movement, her system continued to calibrate and configure until her balance and precision were perfect. She glanced over at Xanthus. The joy in his face was indescribable.

"You really learned well, didn't you?" she said to him.

He nodded, wiping away a tear as it fell down his cheek. "To be completely honest," he began, sniffling, "I really thought we had lost you back there."

"You shoulda seen him move," Athena said, walking into the vault with Echo and Perseus. "You literally had about five minutes left in your batteries when the light bulb came on and he ran all over the place, getting everything he needed to hook up your brain to a power source."

Penny turned to Xanthus.

"Y-Yeah," he said, scratching his head. "Once your primary power went out, it was only a matter of time before your emergency batteries went dead. At that point, because of your neural network, we had no real idea what would happen, but I feared that power loss might have a catastrophic effect on your psychology since it's no different from an actual brain. In order to maximize your survival, I carefully extracted your neural network from your old body and hooked it up to a primary power source and kept an eye on your psychological integrity."

"After he fixed up Hillphire," Perseus began, "he went right to work on you. Apparently it takes a whole month to build a new body for you? Right?"

"Her systems are a lot more complex than the typical Hillphire prosthetics," Xanthus said, pushing up his glasses. "So, yes, it takes some time to build everything from the ground up. We had all of the factories working full time to rebuild your body."

Penny walked around. The touch of the cold steel flooring on her bare feet was no different from before. She hopped on her feet. Balance was right on the line. Just then, the final system checks disappeared from her vision. Everything was in nominal working order.

"Here," Echo said, handing her a new set of clothes.

Paying no heed to everyone around her, Penny let the lab coat drop to the floor before getting into her underwear and the pair of blue jeans and the white t-shirt. She looked at herself in a mirror.

"This is Lilly's favorite clothing," she said.

"I can get onboard with simple clothing, not gonna lie," Athena said, standing next to her. "I can see the appeal."

Penny turned to Echo, who was holding out a green ribbon, which matched her emerald eyes. She smiled as she took the ribbon and tied up her long, auburn hair into a ponytail, fashioning the ribbon into a bow.

"Are we all gonna cosplay as Lilly now?" Perseus chuckled. "Yo, all three of you guys are in ponytails."

"Speaking of Lilly," Penny said, turning to Team APEX, who stood together.

"Repairs to the CCTS tower were just completed," Xanthus said.

"I didn't even realize it was down."

"We didn't either. Anyway, I just went through a big backlog of emails and several of them are from Lilly. Apparently, Ivory has been with her this whole month."

She had completely forgotten about Tyrian's abduction of Ivory. "Is she okay?"

"Just fine, it seems. Before we catch up on everything, c'mon, follow me."

—

"Ow!" Leon winced as Ingrid tightened the bandage on his arm. "That hurts!"

"Duh, your arm's still broken!" she yelled at him.

"Why do you have to be so mean!"

"Ugh, suck it up, you big baby!"

"Are you doing better?" Yuan asked him.

"No thanks to your girlfriend!"

He chuckled as Ingrid hissed. "Xanthus just got word from Vacuo, by the way. I think you'll be happy to know that both of your girls are safe."

Leon turned bright red. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"He means Lilly and Ivory are safe, you dunce!" Ingrid yelled.

"Stop yelling in my ear!"

"Aaahhh!"

"Agh! Yuan! Help!"

His combat partner couldn't help but chuckle as he turned to the door. Xanthus was walking through with Penny and the rest of his team.

"Leon?" Penny said.

"Penny!" Leon said, wrestling with Ingrid. "Help! Please!"

"He's doing better, obviously," Athena said. "The hell are you yelling about anyway? Ingrid's just changing your bandage."

"And she's sitting on my back! Why!"

"Because you won't sit still, you boob!" Ingrid yelled.

"Um," Penny began.

"Oh," Athena said, "my stupid brother broke his stupid arm last week."

"Grimm?"

"No. He thought parkour through the water gardens at the middle of the company campus would be a good idea."

"...Isn't that place kind of a maze? A slippery maze?"

"Uh-huh."

"Why would he parkour through that?"

"See, that's not what bugs me. What bugs me is why the hell he didn't just teleport to safety."

"How the heck did you even manage to break your arm?" Penny asked Leon, who was too wrapped up with Ingrid to answer.

"Have you met my brother?" Athena said, rolling her eyes.

"Tyrian's poison is gone, though, right?"

"Yeah," Perseus said. "Hillphire Innovations has a hell of a medical team."

She nodded. "Yeah. I know."

"Senpai?" Xanthus said, holding open a door into another room further in.

Penny took a deep breath, holding it for a while before walking through. Hillphire was still unconscious, hooked up to numerous machinery.

"His arm," she began, looking at his left arm. She was certain that it had been amputated above the elbow the last time she had seen him, but his new arm was seamless all the way up to the shoulder. She noted the patch over his right eye as well.

"There's a lot I have to explain," Xanthus said, pulling up a seat for her beside Hillphire's bed. "Yes, I managed to reprogram the heart to optimize it with his body. But that's not all. I had to do a number of adjustments because we've done a lot of work on his entire body."

"What do you mean?"

"I had half of the company's resources dedicated to building you a new body from the ground up, following to the decimal all of Dr. Hillphire's blueprints. The other half of the company has been working on his body."

"What's wrong with his body?" she said, distress rising in her voice.

"We still have no idea as to the nature of the damage that Colonel Gottfried was able to inflict on him, but in addition to his crushed left arm, there has been degeneration in his bone structure along with a number of other internal injuries and persistent chronic abnormalities. His liver had to be replaced entirely along with a large section of his digestive tract and his whole left lung. His bones have also been fitted with similar enhancements as your own skeleton, but the bone degeneration won't stop for some reason. There are also abnormalities in his nervous system, but we've been able to compensate with a lot of the new technology he himself had been working on. We've also introduced the microbots into his blood. We kept everything limited at first to see how he would respond to it, but so far everything has been on the up."

"Microbots?"

"Similar to what you have in your body, but we've managed to work out the issues with live bodies rejecting them. It wasn't all that difficult anyway since he's immunocompromised. The microbots themselves serve as a substitute immune system and also as a supplement to his tissue repair, which is also impaired."

Penny looked down at the ground. "How in the world is there so much wrong with him? What about his aura?"

"It's active, but as you can see from the monitors, it's incredibly weak. I'd say his aura is about 33% its maximum capacity and won't go any higher than that. And his aura's healing capacity has also been lowered, likely by whatever is causing everything else. Or it could be a result of the physical injuries he's sustained."

"Do we know what's causing all of this?"

He shook his head. "Qrow and Raven have told me that it has something to do with the battle with Colonel Gottfried and his army of Übersoldaten, but, I dunno. Unless he injected him with, like, a biological warfare bomb, I don't see how in the world he has bone degenerative disease or a compromised immune system or a weakened tissue repair. All of the physical trauma we can attribute to the usual combat injuries, but these other things, it's as if he suddenly received all sorts of illnesses that he's much too young to contract."

"He's been out for the whole month, too?"

Xanthus nodded. "Everything is stable, but he's in a medically induced coma right now. There are a few things we still have to work out with the nervous system interfaces for all of the new prosthetics, but he should be fine with a bit of rehab."

"It won't be nearly as fast as my systems reprogramming and recalibrating everything, though."

"He's only human, after all. You're human plus." He looked over at Hillphire. "Although, in a way, he's on the path to becoming human plus himself. At this point, all he's really missing is the neural network."

She rolled her chair closer to the bed. "You said that the heart he had developed for me is beating in his chest right now, right?"

He nodded. "Unfortunately, the lab that was working on the prototype meant for you was completely destroyed, and so we had to use the old model heart for you. We probably won't have one ready until he's back up and working again."

"I don't care about any of that. I just...I want to see him healthy again."

He looked down at the ground. "I have stuff I need to do, senpai. I'll leave you here with him. We'll be taking him off the drugs soon, actually. You probably wanna be the first face he sees. I think you should be, anyway."

"Xanthus."

He stopped as he turned away from her.

"Thank you. For everything."

"You're welcome."

"By the way. After all of this is done, once Liam's awake and everything's fine again, we're gonna talk about your Wraith-Knight."

"You remember that, do you?"

She nodded.

"We'll get to that when we get there."

Team APEX left the room, closing the door behind them. Penny leaned closer, placing her ear on his chest. She listened to his strong heartbeat, tracing with her finger the scars around his shoulder where his new arm met his new, reinforced body. She closed her eyes, allowing the steady beating of his heart lull her to sleep.


	20. Chapter XX

CHAPTER XX

_A Tale of Two Princesses_

"Okay," Lilith said as she stood beside Ivory. "Let's see what you're made of."

Ivory readied Elfenbein as Lilith cast her strengthening spells. "Your magic is much more powerful than Yuan's," she said. "I feel much stronger than when he uses it."

"Of course. Who the hell do you think you're talking to?"

The target Labyrinth today belonged to a group of people inhabiting a rundown apartment complex at the outskirts of Vacuo. Normally, Labyrinths would only form under one of two conditions: a single person's psychosis deepening to the extent that it projects into the Labyrinth world or a mass of people gathering and increasing the psychic load on the Labyrinth itself, effectively overwhelming the fabric of space-time in the same way that a single individual's profound psychological issues would cause a Fourth Layer Labyrinth to form.

"Okay, I'm seeing your position on the LabNav," Ariadne's voice sounded in their headsets with plenty of interference from the space-time discrepancy. "I've got a map for you two to use. Communication will be almost impossible as soon as you walk into that Labyrinth, but at the very least, you'll have an idea of where you're pointing. Did you guys receive the download on your scrolls?"

"Yup, I see it," Lilith said, looking at her scroll.

"Download is complete on mine as well," Ivory said.

"Perfect," Demetri's voice sounded. "Good luck in there, you two."

"Too bad you screwed up your leg yesterday, dude," Lilith said. "You're missin' out. This Lab's pretty gnarly."

"Concentrating on healing is important for you guys," Ariadne said. "Demetri will keep me company."

"Lilly's suggesting that we form a new team called Team DIAL, by the way. I said it sounds stupid as fuck."

_Hey!_

"I also don't want to be team leader," Demetri said. "That's more responsibility than I'm willing to bear, especially with the work we do."

"We have company," Ivory said as a group of Corrupted began their approach.

"All right!" Lilith said, drawing Myrtenaster. "Let's see who gets to be crowned the new Ice Queen!"

—

"And there they go," Demetri said, watching as their blips vanished from the Labyrinth Navigator. "I must ask, Ariadne."

"Hmm?" she said.

"How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Keep your sanity after we disappear from the map like that. Because I've suddenly found myself slightly more anxious than I was thirty seconds ago."

"Oh, that. I just remind myself that Lilly has been doing this _without_ our assistance and completely by herself for months before this task force was even a thought."

"I suppose when you put it that way, my worry is almost unwarranted."

"Well, it's natural to worry about people you care for. And besides, it's not as though I sit here doing nothing. Do you see anything on the LabNav?"

"Is the topography shifting?"

She nodded, pushing up her glasses as she typed away. "When you're in there, it's not all that obvious since the changes you see are only to your immediate surroundings, but with a bird's eye view like this, I can see changes on the macro level. I keep planning and re-planning routes for the eventual escape that they need to make. As soon as a Labyrinth collapse begins, space-time re-synchronizes and I can contact you immediately."

"Ah, so that's why you're often connected to us as soon as Lilly frees the victims."

"Yes. I believe whatever is responsible for the equalization of our worlds is also what facilitates the collapse of Labyrinths. After all, the Labyrinth world is an inherently unstable reality, subject to changes over time. A sudden shift like what you force when you're in there is likely to cause a massive physical collapse of local reality since the human mind that sustains its existence to begin with is no longer connected with that world."

"And so the surrounding reality encroaches on the collapsed reality."

"Exactly. Which is also why once the collapse finishes, even the rubble disappears over time. Have you noticed that all of the old Labyrinth sites you've gone through have reverted to their old, real-world facsimiles?"

"Hmm. I had often wondered about that, but I attributed it to the Labyrinth being the Labyrinth."

"That's not wrong."

"I see. I've also been thinking."

"What's that?"

"It would be great if we could one day link up with Mistral's Labyrinth Task Force. They've been doing many missions of their own, haven't they?"

"Yes. Dr. Hillphire and Penny have been out of commission over the past month, but Teams LILY and APEX sans Xanthus have cleared ten Labyrinths, if I recall that number correctly."

"Xanthus has awakened to a Wraith-Knight himself, though, hasn't he? Why is he not joining them?"

"Because both Penny and Dr. Hillphire have required 100% of his attention for the past month."

"Is he really that good at his work?"

She pushed up her glasses. "I've been corresponding with him over the past months now—obviously barring this previous month when their CCTS tower was damaged—and from what I've seen, he's quite the technical genius himself. I might even consider him a rival."

Demetri chuckled.

"So, yes, I do agree that we should unite our forces someday. Perhaps if we could somehow control and harness Lilly's newfound ability to randomly warp across the planet through the Labyrinth, we wouldn't even have to buy a plane ticket."

—

Lilith grunted as she clashed with a Corrupted that was much larger than normal. The thing had heads sprouting in random locations all over its body. Right now, an extra head protruded from its shoulder, trying to chomp at her.

"This is fucking disgusting," she remarked as the new head slobbered over her as it barked. "Down, boy!"

Her eyes glowed with that golden light as she expelled a powerful shockwave from her body, hurling the monster away from her. She simultaneously transformed Myrtenaster into the darkened Caliburn before blasting forward, slicing the monster into numerous pieces, each of which formed a mouth to try and bite at her.

_Lemme know if you wanna take a breather._

"I think I can go another round," Lilith replied.

"Hmm?" Ivory said. "Oh, you're talking to Lilly."

"These things are much more gross than the usual Corrupted. At least we aren't fighting those, uh, what did you call them? The big motherfuckers back in Mistral."

"Übersoldaten."

"Yeah. From what you've told us, those things can be pretty nasty in tight spaces and in big groups, but Demetri and I have been dealing with something a lot worse than Übersoldaten. In my opinion anyway."

"And what's that?"

Lilith pointed with Caliburn to the distance, where a massive silhouette towered over the entire Labyrinth.

"What in gods is that thing?" Ivory said, her mouth open. "That's as big as a mountain!"

"Almost. Actually, yeah, I think it is. It's called a Greater Ogre, basically a huge version of the smaller Lesser Og—"

"Lilith?"

"Nope, it's me now," Lilly said, her eyes returning to hazel. "She just ran out of power."

Ivory looked down at Caliburn, which had returned to its bright, ornate form before transforming right back to its base form, Myrtenaster.

"I'm fine, by the way. I downgraded my sword because Caliburn actually drains the crap out of me. On a side note, it's kinda convenient to have a spare battery with Lilith. I can fight twice as long with her around."

Ivory chuckled. "I can feel Lilith yelling right now in your head."

"Yep. She just called me a B-word for calling her a spare battery."

"So, when did these gigantic ogre things start appearing for you? Because I don't think we've ever seen anything that enormous back in Mistral."

"They've kind of always been there, mostly just off in the distance and never really doing anything. I don't think they notice us, to be honest, probably since they're so huge."

"It would be like the way we treat ants on the ground."

"Mm-hmm. Okay, let's go clear this Labyrinth!"

The cousins drove hard through the foremost sections of this Labyrinth, which took the form of a military base overrun with zombies. They were slow, clumsy, and laughably weak, but the sheer number made for a much more difficult fight than it should have been.

"It's like we're stuck in a Romero movie," Lilly said, gritting her teeth as her shoulder burned.

Ivory glanced at her cousin's arm. There was a bite mark, blood seeping right through her t-shirt. "Lilly," she said.

"I'm okay. It's just a stupid bite. It'll heal once my aura's back up."

"How often do you fight with your aura completely down?"

_Too often._

"Hush, Lilith."

"Did she just out you for fighting recklessly?" Ivory said.

"Nah-uh."

She chuckled. "You should probably do that less often."

Lilly tightened her grip on Myrtenaster. "Not when people are counting on me."

The instant her aura reconstituted, she dashed forth, launched by a rune behind her. Ivory attacked within the next split second, propelled by her glyphs, which she projected in rapid succession. After tearing through the hallway full of zombies, they proceeded deeper into the Labyrinth, which began to change shape.

"Why does this hallway feel like it's spiraling?" Ivory said, fighting the dizziness.

"Probably because it is," Lilly said. "Don't look back, though."

"Why?"

"Just don't."

Ivory shivered, wondering what it was about their rear that made Lilly give such a chilling command. After another minute of running, they burst through a doorway into a massive chamber with fleshy walls and large blood vessels that pulsed every so often.

"I..." Ivory began, looking all around in shock, "...I don't think we've ever gone through a Labyrinth like this back in Mistral."

"Not even once?" Lilly asked.

She shook her head slowly. "What causes something like this to happen?"

"This is just one possible result of a Labyrinth being really, _really_ messed up. Anything can happen in the deepest Labyrinths, but the most common I see when someone's at the very edge of their sanity is either stuff like this or super duper wacky physics."

"Like the one we went through last week with Demetri? The one where we were jumping between giant floating toy blocks, each of them with their own gravitational fields?"

"Yup."

"Even _that_ we've never seen in our Labyrinth runs."

"Maybe I just attract the really crazy Labyrinths. I don't think Vacuo has a higher mental illness problem than Mistral."

"Neither do I."

They stopped in front of a set of fleshy pillars, which reached all the way up to the ceiling. There were people bound within each of the pillars, as if they were part of the flesh itself.

"What do we do now?" Ivory said.

"Not sure," Lilly said as she examined the towers. "The usual red vein things aren't...wait."

They both looked at a hole in one of the pillars.

"...Do we have to reach in there?" Ivory said, making a face.

Without hesitation, Lilly stuck her hand in, reaching all the way up to her shoulder. Ivory gagged as her cousin pressed up her face against the wall of meat.

"I may become a vegetarian after today," she said, turning paler than she already was.

"There," Lilly said as she grasped something within, giving it a turn.

They both backed away as the man bound in the flesh was ejected, the red tendrils disconnecting from him as he fell.

"Are you okay?" Lilly said, bracing the man.

"Where...?"

"You're safe now. You should return home to your family. They need you."

"My family...?"

Lilly nodded. "Go."

"If you say so..."

He vanished in her arms.

"I'm glad we don't have to go through a boss fight for once," Lilly said, moving to the next pillar.

"Boss fight?" Ivory said.

"You don't play video games?"

"I never had the time."

"Oh. Uh, back with the rest of the team, did you guys ever fight something really big and nasty at the end of some of the Labyrinths?"

"Sometimes, but not very often. Usually, the final obstacle is some kind of puzzle."

"Yeah, that sounds about right. I think the puzzles are a lot more fun. Boss fights tend to be really messy. Lilith really likes them, though."

"That's not surprising."

_What the hell is that supposed to mean?_

Lilly giggled.

"Did she hear me?" Ivory said.

"She can always hear you. Anyway, there's a lot of pillars. I think we should split up."

Ivory felt sick thinking about having to reach all the way into those fleshy recesses.

"What's wrong? You're not grossed out, are you?"

"Of course I am! This is disgusting!"

Lilly chuckled. "Yeah, it is, but, I mean, it's worth it, I think."

Ivory watched as her elder cousin marched toward another pillar, determination painted all over her face. She took a deep breath, steeling herself as well before heading to her own pillar.

_Dude, I don't get how you're doing this._

"I'm saving people, Lilith," Lilly said.

_Yeah, but, like, you're sticking your arm into a moist, meat hole that you can't even see into. What if there's something gross in there?_

"Like what?"

_Like—ew! What the fuck is that?_

Lilly pulled out her hand and looked at what she was holding. She made a face as she threw the gooey meat aside.

_Oh my god! That smelled horrible! What the hell was that thing?_

"I don't wanna know," Lilly said before reaching in again to pull the lever.

_You're seriously sticking your arm back in there! You're crazy!_

"Ugh, stop being so melodramatic."

_Melodramatic? I'm being completely reasonable! Who the hell sticks their arm into a nasty ass hole like that? Crazy people! That's who!_

"Okay, I think I got the last one," Ivory said, rejoining her cousin.

_Gross. Everybody's arms are all covered in ick._

"I think I'm going to take a steam bath when we get out of here," Ivory said.

"Me, too," Lilly said.

The people they released from their fleshy prisons began to gather.

_"It's them!"_

_"They're the princesses who released us."_

_"Angels, I think they are."_

_"Is it okay for us to go back?"_

"It is," Lilly said. "This isn't where you belong. You should be back with your families."

Ivory watched as they all looked heavenward before fading away. The ground began to shake.

"That doesn't sound good," she said.

"Great," Lilly said. "The boss fight is _during_ the collapse?"

_Switch with me. I'm all charged up and ready to go._

"Are you sure?"

Ivory looked over at her cousin.

"Okay."

Lilith was once again in control. "All right, little cuz, let's get the fuck outta here."

"With that language, I'm guessing it's not Lilly," Ivory said.

One of the walls broke apart as a massive beast began chasing them.

"Okay! It's time to boogie!" Lilith yelled before projecting a myriad of dark colored runes and summoning a group of otherworldly monsters to distract the really big one chasing them.

—

"Do you two read me?" Ariadne said into her microphone as their blips came back up on her navigator.

"Yeah!" Lilith said. "You got a route for us yet?"

"Make a left. Wait, what the heck is that chasing you?"

"Something really fucking big! Just get us the fastest route you can find!"

"Uh, keep going straight. Okay, make another left."

"That makes us go backwards!"

"No, the space itself is warping. Okay, you need to make a right."

"There's no right!"

"Uh, up those stairs in front of you. And then a right as soon as you can."

"Got it!"

"I see the exit!" Ivory yelled.

"Shit! What the hell is that thing!"

"Ivory, Lilith, are you two okay?" Ariadne said. She got no response for a while, but their dots were still moving on the map. They lingered around in place for some time. "The spatial collapse is catching up to you. You have about twenty seconds before you're buried in there."

Finally, their blips breached the corridor, emerging out into the general Labyrinth as the local distortion fully collapsed.

"Holy shit!" Lilith's voice came through. "Did you see that shit?"

"Yeah," Ivory panted. "What was that thing?"

"I don't freakin' know, dude! That's the first time I seen that!"

"Let's talk about it when you get back to base," Ariadne said. "I'm picking you both up in the First Layer. There shouldn't be any enemies at all in your way."

"Screw this, I'm cutting into the real world from a rift close by," Lilith said.

Ariadne hit a few keys on her keyboard. "I see the rift you're talking about. I'll send a recovery team to you right away."

—

"So, what was it you two saw?" Demetri said as Lilly threw herself onto the carpet in their dorm room.

"I might have to try the floor myself," Ivory said. "She seems to really enjoy it down there."

"I suspect the same," Ariadne said.

"You guys both suck," Lilly said, her voice muffled by the carpet.

"Anyway," Ivory began, "neither Lilly nor Lilith have ever seen that obstruction before, but it appeared to be some kind of crystal barring the path to the outside."

"That explains why you two stopped just at the exit," Ariadne said.

Lilly rolled to face the ceiling. "It was weird, too. Every time we hit it, it was like it was screaming and crying."

"I thought I heard laughter, too," Ivory said.

"Yeah, same."

"Isn't that what the Corrupted do?" Demetri said.

"I hadn't thought of that," Ivory said.

"None of your cameras were functioning at the time," Ariadne began, "so unfortunately there's no way to see what you were seeing." She pulled out her scroll as it beeped. "It seems my father wishes to have dinner with all of us."

"Does it have something to do with Ivory being here?" Demetri said.

"Maybe, maybe not. He didn't have the chance to meet with everyone when she first arrived, so this may be trying to make up for it."

"I would be honored to be a guest at your dinner table," Ivory said.

"Well, we don't exactly have a dinner table anymore. Our home has been quarantined due to some unknown magical phenomena that occurred there last year. I'm sure Lilly can sense it even now."

"Yeah," she said. "It feels like...almost like the Labyrinth is, like, leaking out into the real world from there. Kinda like a rift, but not really. It's super chaotic, even more so than the Labyrinth itself."

"Hence why we have the entire grounds completely sealed away," Ariadne said. "At least until we can figure out what to do with the place."

"I see," Ivory said.

"Anyway, dinner isn't until eight o'clock, according to my father, so we have some time to rest until then."


	21. Chapter XXI

CHAPTER XXI

_Distress Call_

Penny held on to Hillphire's remaining human arm as he continued with his rehabilitation. It had been a week since he was conscious again, but he was in constant pain, not to mention that his right eye had yet to heal. Even now, he put on a brave face for everyone around him, but Penny's Semblance made it impossible for him to hide what he was really going through. Her pain threshold was quite high given her nature, but even this was testing her limits. On a scale of one to ten, the pain he felt constantly hovered around nine, often spiking to ten in bursts before settling at nine again.

_Liam, _she thought as he grimaced through his rehabilitation. "I'm here for you no matter what," her thoughts escaped from her mouth.

"Penny," he struggled. "You shouldn't...you shouldn't be here. I know you can feel...all of my pain. And I don't...want you to."

"It doesn't hurt me at all."

"You're lying to me, Penny."

She bit her lower lip.

"Please, just..."

"No. I'm not leaving you."

"Don't be stubborn."

"No, _you_ don't be stubborn. Can't you see there are people who wanna be there for you? Stop pushing us away!"

He turned to her. There were tears in her eyes that she only barely managed to keep from falling.

"She's right, you know," Yang said, walking into the rehab center with her mother and uncle. "There's no need to be a stubborn fool."

"Yang, Raven," Hillphire began.

"If you're going to apologize once more about my team," Raven began, "I swear I will trip you in the middle of your session."

He chuckled. "Sorry."

"Anyway," Qrow began, "we wanted to update you on shit. We don't know what the hell that Gottfried asshole did to you, or where the hell he disappeared off to, but we're still workin' on it."

"Don't bother," Hillphire said. "I still remember the moment he stabbed me. I can distinctly recall something unnatural about his sword. It wasn't exactly toxic or anything like that, but there was something off about it."

"New Atlas technology?"

"Doubt it," Yang said. "We've had plenty of run-ins with those guys and I've never seen any tech like that. It's gotta be magical shit."

"The kids did run into Cinder and someone named Tamiel," Qrow said. "My bet is that Gottfried is working with the Daemons. Whether this is sanctioned officially by Atlas's government is up for debate."

Hillphire grunted as he reached the end of the walkway. He stood in place, breathing heavily for a while and rubbing the patch over his right eye. He turned to Penny, who refused to leave his side.

"You're doing well, Dr. Hillphire," said his physical therapist. "For two weeks of rehab, you're progressing quite smoothly, especially since you're only using one eye for balance."

Hillphire removed the eye patch. "No good," he said, returning it to its place. "Still blurry."

"It may have something to do with everything else that's going on with your body."

"Probably. If the rest of my body won't heal, I don't see why my right eye would be any different."

Xanthus walked into the room. "Dr. Hillphire, the programming is done," he said, walking up to him and Penny.

"Nice work," Hillphire said, panting as he turned around to run the course again.

"Liam, what are you doing?" Penny asked him.

"The rehab plan has me doing this thing four times. I've only done it three times."

She sighed before repositioning herself to continue walking beside him, but he waved her off.

"I can do this," he said, gripping the handrails until his knuckles turned white.

Penny looked at the therapist, who nodded. She stepped back. The whole room was silent as Hillphire took step after agonizing step. He was halfway across the walkway when he lost his balance and collapsed, but Penny was right beside him in a split second, grabbing onto his gait belt to keep him from hitting his head on the guide rails. He turned to her. Her grip on his support belt was like iron. Meanwhile, he could barely stand without unbearable pain hammering him back to the floor.

He turned away from her, knowing full well that her empathy Semblance allowed her to feel all of his agony and self-pity, but she was quick to wrap her arms around him, holding his head to her chest. He began to weep, a combination of frustration at his sorry state along with gratitude for the friendship he shared with all of these people in the room with him.

"There's no time for feeling sorry for yourself right now, Liam," Penny said firmly as she continued to hold him tightly. "We have a world to save."

He nodded, resoluteness filling his new heart, the heart that he had designed for her. It now beat in his chest, keeping him alive. Her strength flowed through him and he stood upright, grasping the guide rails tightly. Penny remained on the outside of the walkway but within arm's reach. She walked alongside him as he reached the end. He panted, turning to her.

"Okay," Penny said. "Let's get you back into your service bay."

"Speaking of that," Xanthus said, "the second one in the vault is ready, Dr. Hillphire, just as you asked for."

"Perfect," Hillphire said. "It's about time Penny had a roommate."

"Huh?" Penny said.

"He wanted me to set up his station in there," Xanthus said. "Having all of his work in the same space is a lot easier to work with than having to come out to the hospital every day."

"You still intend on working in your state?"

"You said it yourself, Penny," Hillphire began, "there's no time for feeling sorry for myself, not when we have a world to save."

She smiled at him before giving him a single nod.

—

"You're getting pretty good with this, son," Ren said as he and Yuan finished hand-to-hand training.

"Thank you," Yuan said. "I try not to be too dependent on my weapon, just as you've taught me."

"Your control over your aura has also improved."

"It's too bad I can't show you what I can do with this Wraith-Knight power."

"And what's that?"

"You know that technique I was working on a long time ago, the one where I project my aura offensively like spears?"

"Yes, the technique you tried to emulate from me."

"That one. In the Labyrinth, with the power of the Wraith-Knight, I can form an entire array of them and use them as projectile weapons."

"That's quite impressive." He paused for a moment. "This power, son."

"I know. I've been consulting with everyone who has some kind of knowledge on the thing and almost unanimously everyone's apprehensive about it. From what Penny has told me, it seems there is definite reason to fear it. There's one thing I don't quite get, though. The Wraith you guys encountered back then seems to have been pretty overtly malevolent, even just being near it, right?"

"Yes. I felt sick just from proximity."

"Sir Elyan doesn't give me that feeling at all. He even tested my character before accepting me."

"Hmm. That certainly doesn't sound like something Bedivere's Wraith would have done. He was pretty open about his contempt for everything."

"I know to be careful, though, dad. And Xanthus is no fool either."

"Honestly, I can't think of better first Wraith-Knights than the two of you. You have the emotional maturity to handle this thing and your friend has the technical knowledge to understand what you two are dealing with."

Chatter came from the doorway to the training hall and they both turned to see Nora and Ingrid chatting as they headed in.

"How are things with you two, by the way?" Ren asked his son.

"Good, actually," Yuan said. "Honestly, I think I'm in love with her. Don't tell her I said that, though, or she might run away from me."

Ren chuckled. "That's something she and her mom have in common. Although, I think Blake's aloofness was more a result of her past than anything else. I think Ingrid is just an introvert."

"What're you boys talkin' about, huh?" Nora said as she and Ingrid joined them.

"Just you two ladies," Ren said. "What were _you_ talking about?"

"Mostly that I'd be okay with Ingrid calling me mom."

"That's not what we were talking about!" Ingrid yelled, stamping her foot on the ground as she turned bright red.

"Hey, you ready for some sparring?" Yuan said, walking up to Ingrid.

"Oh, y-yeah, lemme just warm up."

The three watched as she went over to the lockers.

"You use protection, don't you?" Nora said to Yuan, who flinched at her question.

"Of course," he said. "I make sure to wrap up all my joints so I don't get injured during training."

Ren put a heavy hand on his shoulder. "I don't think your mom was talking about that kind of protection."

Yuan looked at his father for a moment before looking at his mom, who looked exasperated.

"So?" she said.

"W-We haven't exactly done anything," he said.

"Oh, good. I don't think right now's a good time to be having babies anyway."

Ren chuckled as his son turned bright red. "Nora, you're on a roll. Now you just have to make both of them turn red at the same time."

Ingrid rushed over to them.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Yuan said.

"I just got a text message from my brother," she panted. "He just arrived in town and—" Her scroll rang and she answered. "Hey, wait, Han, slow down. What? Okay, I'll meet you there."

"What's going on?" Nora asked.

"My brother sounds like he's in trouble. I've gotta go meet with him."

"I'll come with you," Yuan said.

"We're coming, too," Ren said.

"You guys don't have to," Ingrid said.

"Nope," Nora said. "You can't say no to us. We're coming to help you out even if it's not a big deal."

She looked to the Ren family and gave them a smile before leading the way out of the training hall to the school entrance, where Hanuman was awaiting their arrival.

"Han, what's—" Ingrid said before her brother cut her off.

"Sis, you gotta come back home," he said frantically. "There's...I dunno what the hell is going on back there, but everybody's acting all weird."

"What do you mean?" Yuan said.

"It's not just the council members and higher ups. It's the whole friggin' _country_. I dunno if it's something in the water, but—"

"Han," Ingrid said, grasping her brother by the shoulders. "What's happening?"

He took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. "At first, we thought it was just a bunch of mining accidents, but then people started seeing other people deliberately sabotaging some of the equipment and setting fire to the raw Dust that was just mined out."

"What did mom and dad do about it?"

"Well, first they tried to increase security and stuff, but the council shot down all of their proposals and they both had to go out there by themselves with their own people, but none of them have come back. And this was weeks ago."

Ingrid's eyes opened wide. "Mom and dad?"

Hanuman nodded and then began crying. "Sis! I dunno what to do! The council just abandoned mom and dad like that and all our friends and their friends and—"

"Hey," Ingrid said before holding her brother tightly. "Don't cry. Mom and dad fought in the last war, remember? They're not so weak that they'll go down without a fight. For all we know, they've been giving the bad guys hell for the past few weeks."

"I just," he sobbed, "I wish I was stronger, you know? Like you and mom and dad."

"You're plenty strong. You've been strengthening your Semblance, haven't you?"

"I mean, yeah. I can keep my clone active for a whole hour now, but I can't keep it up for longer than five minutes if I'm doing something as crazy as fighting."

"But you've gotten the clone's abilities down, haven't you?"

He nodded before taking a step back and projecting his clone beside him. Ingrid was astonished at his copy's appearance. It used to be that his double would appear translucent, but right now, she found it impossible to tell which was her brother and which was his copy.

"W-What?" she said.

"Yeah, I can even sync my thoughts between both," he said.

"Which is pretty cool," the one on the left said.

"And I guess it works to confuse the enemy, too."

"Oh, and pass messages to people at a distance."

All the while, Ingrid kept looking between the two, unable to figure out which was the real Hanuman.

"Are your abilities passed over as well?" Yuan asked him.

"Yeah," he said. "My double is just as strong and just as fast as me and he also operates independently with all my knowledge and stuff."

"That's quite the powerful Semblance, actually. Most clone-type Semblances can't even come close to matching the level of detail in the copy and those that do can never grant a total replication of abilities without some level of watering down between themselves and their copies."

"Yeah, but that's why my time limit is five minutes when I'm fighting," Hanuman said as he retired his clone.

"That's plenty of time for it to make a difference. What's the cool down before you can project it again?"

"Fifteen minutes."

"That's really fast for something that powerful. Like Ingrid said, you're plenty strong. You just gotta put your mind to it. And you know what I think will help out? We're all gonna come and help you find your parents."

"Wait, what?" Ingrid said.

"Do you mean it?" Hanuman said.

Yuan nodded. "We're all Huntsmen. What would that do for our reputations if we turned you down?"

"When do we head out?"

"After we confer with both teams. C'mon, let's meet up with everyone."

—

"My vote's a yes," Athena said. "Xanthus, you're the busy one of our team. Are you gonna stay to make sure Hillphire's recovery goes smoothly?"

"No," he said, pushing up his glasses. "At this point, there's nothing left for me to do here The staff can take care of the rest of his rehabilitation."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded. There wasn't a hint of doubt in his face or voice.

"Okay. Team LILY?"

"This is our teammate we're talking about," Leon said. "And besides, the vote's two on one. Why the hell would I be the dick to vote against them?"

"Team LILY is incomplete, though."

"I don't think so," Yuan said, turning to Hanuman.

"Wait, m-me?" he said.

"Yeah. You've got the training, don't you?"

"I mean, I've trained with my dad and my sisters, but we don't really have a primary combat school back home, so I don't have any formal training."

"I think training with Blake Belladonna and Sun Wukong is plenty of formal training," Ren said.

"Yep," Nora said with a nod.

"The rest of us need to stay in Mistral, though," Winter said. "Unfortunately, the city has been severely compromised by Colonel Gottfried's attack and you all know how busy we've been during the past month and a half just trying to keep the Grimm out of the city."

"It's all one big positive feedback loop," Ren said. "The Grimm attack, people get scared, the Grimm attack again because they're attracted to fear and other negative emotions, and then people get scared even more. It never ends."

"We can handle things here, though," Nora said, deploying her hammer. "Those things die when you hit them hard enough."

"Mom, please don't break things that don't need to be broken," Yuan said.

She grinned in response.

"Now I'm worried."

The doors to the room flew open and Penny marched in. "Are you guys seriously leaving on your own?" she said.

"Did you hack into the cameras again?" Ren said.

"Of course I did. I heard everything. I'm coming with you."

"Senpai," Xanthus said, standing up and standing in front of her. "Dr. Hillphire needs you. And not just him. The City of Mistral needs Project Persephone now more than ever. You've seen how often the Grimm have been attacking and how large each horde is."

"You haven't even _graduated_ yet. I'm not gonna let you guys go out there and do the most dangerous job you've ever done without at least some supervision!"

"I dunno if you've noticed," Perseus said, standing with his combat partner, "but we've _been_ doing all sorts of dangerous shit already over the past year."

"Yes! And because of that, Ivory was taken!"

"But she's fine," Athena said. "She's literally with Lilly right now kicking all sorts of ass."

"That's what you call luck, and that doesn't last forever!"

Xanthus stepped forward to embrace her, making her gasp and freeze up.

"I know how important we are to you," he said. "That's why I'm gonna look after our team. Me and Yuan. We have the power to protect ourselves now."

"You can't even use those powers in the real world," she sighed.

"Maybe not fully, but ever since I formed a pact with Sir Percival, Yuan's felt a pretty substantial power boost. I have to admit, too, that I've noticed a bit of strength that I didn't have before."

"You're all being so naïve," Penny said, looking at the ground as Xanthus stepped back, standing among the rest of his team, which included Leon, Yuan, and Ingrid as well.

"I prefer the term 'optimistic'," Leon quipped.

She looked at them. Each one stood with total assurance. There was a time when she also possessed this confidence, but perhaps age robbed her of it. She turned her head to Winter as the latter placed her hand on her shoulder.

"Believe me," she began, "it was difficult to let go of Ivory as well. But if there's anything I've learned after all these years, it's that we can't really underestimate these youngsters. It was the same mistake we made all those years ago with your own generation. Or...is _this_ your generation now?"

The doors to the room opened. Penny's eyes widened as Hillphire walked through, clad from head to toe in his stripped down powered armor.

"Dr. Hillphire," Xanthus said, walking to him. "So, it's worked."

"Using the suit as a body-wide prosthetic was your idea, Xan-chan," Hillphire said, shifting his eye patch to relieve some itching. "Penny. Go with them."

"But, wait, Dr. Hillphire—"

"I can take care of things here. This is _my_ company, after all."

"Liam," Penny said, gritting her teeth as she clenched her fists. "You're in pain. You're in so much pain."

He shook his head. "I'm fine. A little bone degeneration isn't gonna stop me."

She ran to him, wrapping her arms all around the cold shell of his powered armor. She couldn't touch him in this state, though she wished she could right now. Despite his words, she could feel the terrible agony he was going through, not just through her Semblance, but also from the way his voice quavered with each word.

"Hillphire," Winter began, "are you sure you're all right?"

"We all saw the state your body was in," Ren said. "Technology is literally the only thing keeping you upright at this very moment."

"You're right," Hillphire said, "but until we can figure out what the hell is wrong with me, this is the best we can do. And besides, what else am I supposed to use my own products for other than my own benefit when I actually need it?"

Penny closed her eyes, allowing the tears to fall on the cold metal of his powered armor. This was wrong. This was so wrong. She was becoming more and more human with each development while Liam was losing his humanity. Even now, they had no idea if his right eye would ever work again.

"Hey," Hillphire said, holding her at arm's length. "Can you trust that I'll be all right?"

She hesitated before nodding.

"Good," he said as he wiped her tears away with his thumbs after retracting the gloves to expose his hands. She reached up to grip his fingers in her own, feeling their warmth, a stark contrast to the lifeless steel coffin he now relied on to support his vital functions.

"Everything seems to be in good working order," Penny said, connecting wirelessly with his suit's onboard computer. "Your new heart is beating strong, too."

He smiled. "That's because it was meant for you."

Leon glanced over at Xanthus as that last line left Hillphire's mouth. His friend didn't show any emotion on the outside, but Leon knew he had been hurting over the last several weeks.

"Like getting kicked in the nuts," Perseus said quietly.

Leon turned to him.

"I'm sure we're not the only ones who've noticed, man."

"Yeah, well, it still sucks," Leon said.

"Okay," Hillphire said, turning to the rest of the group, ignoring the pain burning every nerve ending. "I hacked into the surveillance system, too, so I heard most of what you guys were talking about. I've already got a high-altitude shuttle ready for all nine of you and there's plenty of supplies onboard for the work you'll need to do. It'll take you straight to Kuo Kuana, stopping for nothing."

"Is this one of the automated ones?" Xanthus said.

"Yes. No pilot means no rest means no stops. Penny can override the systems if necessary."

"What are we waiting for, then?" Athena said. "Let's go save Ingrid's home."

END PART I


End file.
